It can be hard for sexual harassment victims to speak out against their abusers. This has proved a topic of discussion with the recent suit against Tesla.
Six female employees at the Fremont, California Tesla factory called out the toxic work environment. Tesla’s failure to take sexual harassment seriously has caused these victims to suffer inappropriate touching, catcalling and sexual suggestions. It is quite amazing that these victims reported this behavior when three out of four victims fail to report workplace sexual harassment of any kind.
This might have you wondering: “Why don’t people report sexual harassment more often?” Here is what you should know:
Victims fear the aftermath
It may come to your surprise that sexual harassment does not stop after it is reported. It can get progressively worse for victims after they report.
If the abusers realize who they were reported, they may go to extreme measures to either protect themselves or get revenge. They may retaliate against the victim and threaten the lives, jobs and loved ones of the victim.
Victims may feel shamed
It can be hard for a victim to reveal they are being sexually harassed. They feel violated and humiliated that something like harassment might happen to them.
Victims might even begin blaming themselves for letting the harassment happen in the first place. Shame can lead a victim to never report the sexual harassment and let it continue happening.
It is truly spectacular to know these women, by filing against Tesla, have defied the statistics. If you are the victim of sexual harassment in the work environment then you may need to seek legal counsel to help fight back against the harasser. Your bravery can help stop sexual harassment from continuing to be a problem in the workplace in the future.