Victims of sexual violence often feel helpless and out of control after being raped or otherwise violated. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD commonly follow being sexually violated, particularly if they do not report the crime or do not get the kind of help that they need from hospitals, police, family, and friends. There are those who continue to blame the victim, which makes it difficult for the victim to cope with what has happened to them.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT Sexual harassment involves unwelcome or inappropriate speech or actions perpetrated by one person upon another, often in schools, workplaces, churches, and the military. It can range from inappropriate speech to sexual assault. Both men and women can be victims. In most modern societies, sexual harassment is illegal, although it can sometimes be difficult to prosecute people for offhand comments or teasing that is sexual in nature. It becomes illegal when it is frequent or when it creates a hostile environment for the victim or cases them adverse consequences. In the US, the legal aspects of sexual harassment were developed in the 1970s. This was when the term “sexual harassment” was first widely written about and when some organizations created standards and policies to combat the problem. There were many activists at the time who brought the discussion of this issue to the attention of lawmakers and the public at large. Laws were first created in the early 1980s addressing sexual harassment. The perpetrator of sexual harassment usually has some type of authority or power over the victim, which can be real or perceived between the victim and perpetrator. Parents, teachers, coworkers, and even clients can be perpetrators of this crime. There does not have to be a witness for sexual harassment to occur and the perpetrator may not know their behavior is against the law. Even the victim may not be aware of it as a problem. Even so, victims of sexual harassment can experience sleep problems, poor health, eating difficulties, social withdrawal, depression and increased stress, even if the event was a one-time thing. The victim and perpetrator can be of the same gender and the
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