Experiences Of Harassment Research Articles

What factors contribute to behaviour-related stigma among men who have sex with men in Western Province - Sri Lanka

Introduction: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are one of the key population groups who have a high risk of transmitting and acquiring HIV. They are being stigmatized due to their behavior. Therefore, it is of prime importance to identify those correlates of stigma among MSM to take measures to minimize them. Objective: To determine the correlates of behavior-related stigma among MSM in Western Province, Sri Lanka. Methods: A cross-sectional study with an analytical component was conducted among MSM in the Western province, of Sri Lanka. The sample size was 564. Participants were recruited using respondent-driven sampling. Data collection was done using two interviewer-administered questionnaires, the “Behavior related stigma Scale”, a tool developed and validated by the investigators was used to assess the level of stigma, and a separate questionnaire to assess the correlates of stigma which was also developed by the investigators. Correlates of behavior-related stigma among MSM were determined by multivariate analysis using an adjusted Odd’s ratio. Results: Advancing age (>29 years) (p= 0.01), being educated up to grade 10 (p = 0.039), family and friends considering homosexuality as a psychiatric disease (p – 0.018), the experience of sexual abuse in childhood (p <0.001), the experience of nonverbal harassment from relatives (p <0.001), being arrested by police during lifetime (p<0.001), not carrying condoms as they were not supplied (p=0.007) were positively associated statistical significance with a high level of behavior related stigma among MSM. Being educated regarding HIV/AIDS from the health sector and media were negatively associated. Conclusions: There are modifiable factors associated with behavior-related stigma among MSM. Awareness programs should be conducted for the public to sensitize them regarding same-sex behavior, thus minimizing harassment from society.

A Sense of Danger: Gender-Based Violence and the Quest for a Sensory Criminology

This article responds to recent calls for a ‘sensory criminology’ by offering a multi-sensorial analysis of gender-based violence (GBV). We examine both the often-discussed external senses as well as the more marginalized internal senses and explore how emotion, the broader criminological ‘atmosphere’ of GBV and the shift in atmosphere during the Covid-19 pandemic are implicated in women’s experiences of street-based sexual harassment and sexual assault. By analysing over 140 stories of GBV during the Covid-19 lockdowns, we evidence the scope and value of a fully multi-sensory criminology.

Understanding Masculinity and Sexual Harassment for Sustainable Development

It is an important phenomenon to draw a common understanding of sexual harassment in a national and international concept. This applies in particular the determination to reach an agreement around a common concept definition of sexual harassment, irrespective of race, culture, and situation, form of exposure, colour, national context, and so onwards. Bangladesh has a strong legal framework to reduce violence against women; however, the law and reality are different. Women in this society are generally perceived as mothers and wives and not as equal working partners. So, women’s education has a significant impact on family income and development and the males in household activities are also absent and women’s activities are entertaining guests, preparing food, and cooking. The deep-rooted gender inequalities and discrimination makes women helpless also in the higher education level. Sexual harassment in public universities had the highest proportion of women that reported ‘never telling anyone’ about their experience of harassment by friends or teachers. This research would like to find out the ways of breaking masculinity and gender-based violence in the higher educational institution, which is authorized under the relevant disciplinary rules to take action in case of misconduct. This article will also explore the protection mechanism from sexual harassment and how the right to education and work with dignity is recognized as basic human rights in higher education levels.

Demographic predictors of experiences of homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender-diverse and queer-identifying (LGBTIQ) young people in Australia

ABSTRACT Homelessness among young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender-diverse and queer-identifying (LGBTQ+) persons is highly prevalent and constitutes a structural risk to health and future life chances. However, the distribution of homelessness burden is among different LGBTQ+ subgroups is poorly understood. An Australia-wide cross-sectional online survey was conducted involving 6,481 LGBTQ+ participants aged 14–21 years during 2019. Single-predictor logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with both lifetime and recent experiences of homelessness. Analyses also explored associations between recent (<12 months) experiences of homelessness, experiences of harassment, alcohol consumption, and psychological distress. Higher odds of experiencing homelessness were observed for trans and gender-diverse young people, individuals who identified with sexual identity labels other than lesbian, gay or bisexual, racially-minoritized persons, disabled persons and individuals from a religious family or household, compared to their respective counterparts. Experiencing homelessness was associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption and higher prevalence of experiencing verbal, physical and sexual harassment, but only modestly associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Homelessness risk and burden is unevenly distributed among LGBTQ+ youth and is linked to outcomes which may potentiate future homelessness. Interventions addressing homelessness among this group must be optimized for those subgroups most vulnerable to experiencing homelessness.

Beyond “Online Notice-Me”: Analysing Online Harassment Experiences of Journalists in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Journalists are increasingly reporting that online harassment has become a normative part of their lives, and that online harassment experience induces fatigue, anxiety, and self-censorship on them. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with journalists in Nigeria, this study reports that journalists experienced acute, chronic or perennial, and escalatory harassments of intense nature. The study indicates that acute forms of online harassments were dismissed, amongst others as “online show-off”, “online banter” and “online notice-me”. Thereby misrecognising online harassments as forms of efficiency-focused media criticism. Our data further show that gender is not a triggering factor to online harassment of journalists. However, political, and investigative reporting is seen as a factor. Journalists reported improved systematic intervention from media organisations and their individual coping strategies, including engaging in self-censorship among others, as coping strategies for online harassment. Suggestions for future research areas were delineated.

Teachers' Lived Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Despite several studies on learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment, the problem persists in some South African schools. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is a form of workplace violence and harassment, as schools are workplaces for teachers. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is therefore an important occupational health and safety issue for teachers. Employers are obliged to provide a safe working environment for teachers to enable quality teaching and learning in schools. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of high school teachers who have been targets of workplace violence and harassment perpetrated by learners at selected schools in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Many teachers were willing to share their lived experiences but, due to data saturation, only eleven participated after being selected through purposive sampling from seven high schools under a chosen sub-district. The research ethics of voluntary participation, informed consent, ethical clearance, and gatekeeper permission were observed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. The interviews were audio-taped, and field notes were also taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis into themes and sub-themes. The findings were confirmed by an independent coder to achieve trustworthiness. Teachers experienced physical workplace violence and harassment, verbal workplace violence and harassment, and nonverbal workplace violence and harassment from learners. Learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment affects teachers emotionally, and in turn, affects the quality of teaching and learning in schools. Some teachers propose the involvement of a community policing forum, the strengthening of schools' governing bodies, and reducing overcrowding in classrooms as possible solutions to deal with learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment.

‘Talk amongst yourselves’: designing and evaluating a novel remotely-moderated focus group methodology for exploring group talk

ABSTRACT The use of a moderator has become ubiquitous when using focus groups for social science research. While a skilled moderator can facilitate discussion, we argue that, in some instances, moderators can potentially hinder the generation of the types of group discussions that academic researchers may seek to access. In this paper we outline some of the challenges associated with moderated focus groups and propose a complimentary methodology: a remotely-moderated focus group that can help overcome some of the problems a physically present moderator might create, while still incorporating many of the benefits of moderation. Using two remotely-moderated focus group designs – one exploring dietary identity and the other exploring gendered experiences of sexual harassment – we provide evidence for the efficacy of this design in multiple contexts. We evaluate its ability to produce high quality conversational data and suggest directions for future research exploring the utility of this methodology.

The “Palestine Test” Revisited: Faculty, Students and Activists Talk about Their Experiences of Harassment, Intimidation and Suppression of Speech on Palestine

This article acknowledges the prescience of MJ Nadeau and Alan Sears’ 2009 article “The Palestine Test, Countering the Silencing Campaign”. It introduces recent research with Canadian academics and activists about their experiences of suppression of speech on Palestine. These include political interventions in academic hiring, threats of violence, harassment by pro-Israel advocates and media outlets and classroom surveillance by pro-Israel campus groups, all of which are violations of academic freedom and grave impediments to the production of knowledge.

Abuse and Harassment of Female Journalists in Karnali

This study explores the experiences of abuse and harassment faced by female journalists in the Karnali Province. In the base of concurrent research design, mixed method was adopted in this study. For quantitative method, questionnaire was developed and online survey was conducted for data collection. For that 60 respondents were selected. Like that, for qualitative study, focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews were performed. Where 3 senior female journalists were selected for the interview and 10 victims were selected for focus group discussion. This study set up within the theoretical framework of objectification and spiral of silence. Results reveal that patriarchal societal norms contribute to the objectification of female journalists, leading to a high prevalence of abuse that is often not reported due to ineffective laws, discrimination, shame, economic vulnerability, and lack of political access. The result also shows that female journalists often lack self-confidence and may bear the harassment silently or try to hide it due to the fear of social boycott. It highlights the issues of unequal wages, lack of credit for their work, and exploitation by senior journalists.

Requirement Politics

In this article, which includes a feminist micro-chapbook, the author has chosen poems written both prior to and following their recollection of and subsequent therapeutic struggle to work through their lifelong experiences of sexual harassment and assault. Situated within the neoliberally co-opted #MeToo campaign, Betsy Devos’s 2020 Title IX cross-examination mandate, and post-Trumpian, ongoing COVID U.S. landscape, this work performs an ethnographic autopsy on the body politic: displaying the fleshy lived consequences of an unjust legal system. By continuing Faulkner’s work on poetic inquiry as feminist methodology, this piece contributes to the tradition of poetic praxis as a means of clapping back to structures of oppression. At its core, this article reveals relived experiences and words spoken by institutional figures reluctant to fulfill mandatory reporting requirements. By playing off Higginbotham’s (1993) term respectability politics, “Requirement Politics” blurs lines of academic and poetic writing to deliberately collapse a fabricated line between public and private lived experiences.

Moral injury in women military members and Veterans: What do we really know?

LAY SUMMARY Moral injury describes and explains the biological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual wounds service members may develop when they are betrayed by leadership or act, fail to act, or bear witness to acts that are in direct conflict with their moral code. Very little research is focused on moral injury experienced by women service members and Veterans. A woman’s experience in the military is often vastly different from a man’s because they have a higher prevalence of military sexual trauma (the threat or experience of sexual assault or harassment). To date, little research has been conducted about how betrayal, military sexual trauma, and moral injury interact. This article attempts to decipher moral injury from other psychological and combat stress injuries and highlights the unique aspects of moral injury experienced by women combat Veterans.

Examining the immediate and enduring psychological impact of street harassment on women’s mental health

Purpose Many women report experiences of street harassment during their lifetime. Previous quantitative survey research has shown the variety of ways in which this type of harassment can impact upon a victim’s life, including restricting their freedom of movement and fear of further victimisation. The purpose of this study is understand the immediate and enduring psychological impact of street harassment on female victim-survivors. Design/methodology/approach The present study aims to explore, qualitatively, women’s experiences of street harassment through thematic analysis of on 35 online blog posts. Data were collected from the “Stop Street Harassment” website, where women are invited to share their experiences anonymously. Findings Three main themes were generated from the data. First was the age at which women began to experience street harassment, with recurring early incidents during formative childhood years. Second was the impact that experiences had on their mental health and psychological well-being with feelings of shame, fear, self-loathing, as well as decreased self-esteem and confidence experienced in the immediate aftermath – though the longer-term negative emotions reported were enduring feelings of anger alongside a constant state of anxiety from feelings of vulnerability to further victimisation. The final theme was the modification of behaviour after experiencing street harassment where women choose to avoid walking alone on the streets or consciously changed their clothing choices, to avoid being harassed. Originality/value This study offers a further qualitative insight into the real-life experience and psychological consequences of street harassment upon survivors’ mental health.

Uncovering the untold story: exploring gender disparities in sexual harassment experiences and coping strategies among Ghanaian higher education students

PurposeThis study aims to examine students' experiences of sexual harassment (SH) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana as well as their coping strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey research design and used the convenience sampling technique to sample 926 students from four public Universities in Ghana. The data collected were analyzed using an independent-sample t-test with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0.FindingsThe study found no significant difference in male and female students' experience of gender harassment and unwanted SH. Additionally, female students were sexually coerced considerably more than males. In the case of coping strategies, the study found no significant differences among male and female students use of passive coping strategies. Finally, the study found significant differences among male and female students use of active, self-blame and benign coping strategies.Practical implicationsThis implies that specific attention is required when students experience SH since they may be exposed to more aggressive sexual behavior.Originality/valueThe originality of this present study rest on its unique contribution by exploring the prevalent SH and coping strategies among tertiary students in HEIs in Ghana.

Witnessing Sexual Harassment and Associated Substance Use and Poor Mental Health Outcomes among Adolescent Girls in the US

Direct experiences of sexual harassment have been found to be associated with substance use and poor mental health among girls. Indirect experiences, such as witnessing the sexual harassment of others, may be indicative of a climate supportive of sexual harassment against girls and elicit similar adverse outcomes. The current study sought to assess reports of witnessing sexual harassment and associations with substance use and mental heath outcomes among adolescent girls. The data were from questionnaires among girls (n = 152) ages 15–19 recruited from a health clinic serving a low-resource community in San Diego County. Using crude and adjusted regression models, we assessed witnessing the sexual harassment of girls (past year) as well as the frequency of witnessing such acts in relation to substance use, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The adjusted models included demographics and direct experiences of sexual harassment (past 6 months) as covariates. The participants had an average age of 17, and 76% were Latina. The majority (70%) reported witnessing sexual harassment (past year); 65% reported directly experiencing sexual harassment (past 6 months). Among those reporting witnessing, most witnessed sexual harassment at school (69%), at a party (45%), in their neighborhood (34%), or on public transport (33%). In adjusted logistic regression models, witnessing sexual harassment was significantly associated with past 30-day alcohol use, ever using drugs, feeling depressed (past 30 days), feeling anxious (past 30 days), and past-year suicidal ideation (ORs range 2.9–18.2). The findings suggest that, in addition to direct experiences of sexual harassment, indirect experiences of witnessing the sexual harassment of others may also be associated with negative outcomes regarding girls’ health and well-being.

Addressing female trainee experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination in a veterans affairs mental health service.

Addressing female trainee experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination in a veterans affairs mental health service.

The Slut-Shaming Instrument: Preliminary validation, correlates, and links with psychological distress among adolescent girls.

Despite social awareness of the problem of slut-shaming for adolescent girls, no existing measure captures this construct. Using data from a sample of 202 girls from Québec, Canada (ages 14-17; 68% White), preliminary validation is provided for the Slut-Shaming Instrument, a seven-item measure of negative peer experiences related to being perceived as too sexually active, sexualized, or flirtatious. The measure showed strong psychometric properties including good reliability and factor structure, expected associations with daily experiences of slut-related victimization and sexual harassment, and links with number of sexual partners and other forms of peer victimization. Slut-shaming was associated with distress accounting for these other forms of victimization (including sexual harassment), suggesting the pertinence of addressing this type of gender-based victimization.

Treet Harassment as Predictor of Self-Esteem Levels on Women Victims in Emerging Adulthood

Introduction: Street harassment phenomenon such as cat-calling, breast-grabbing, and stalking are increasingly occurring in Indonesia. The increasingly widespread phenomenon of street harassment creates a unsecure and discomfort for the community and causes a decrease in level of self-esteem for the victims. Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of experience of street harassment on the level of self-esteem in Indonesian women in the emerging adulhood group. Method: This study uses a quantitative approach with survey data collection. The participants of this study is 100 female aged 18-25 years old. The measuring instruments used were the 8 item Street Harassment Scale (SHS) that had been modified and the 10 item Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) designed. Data analysis used in this research is simple regression analysis and performed by Jamovi 2.3.21. Result and Discussion: As much as 60% of the level of self-esteem in victims of street harassment can be explained by the experience of street harassment (R Square = 0,605). Conclusions: From the results of research data analysis, it is known that there is a role of experience of street harassment on the level of self-esteem in women in the young adult age group

"You're just constantly on alert": Women and Gender-Diverse People's Experiences of Sexual Violence on Public Transport.

Sexual violence is a public health issue that can be experienced across the life course. Public transport is a key site of sexual violence and harassment experienced by women and gender-diverse people in Australia, although victim-survivor voices have rarely been sought in addressing this issue. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 41 diverse female and gender-diverse victim-survivors who were staff or students at two Australian universities, we sought to understand their experiences of sexual violence and harassment on public transport. We found that women and gender-diverse people, while often reporting on a significant experience of sexual violence or harassment on public transport, also had other, "everyday" experiences across their life course that impacted how they traveled and their confidence in the world. Overall, we argue that the significant impact of sexual violence and harassment on public transport should be addressed through targeting public transport as a key site for primary prevention of sexual violence and harassment.

Threatening men, threatened women and vice versa: Job and status-related risk factors for experiencing sexual harassment in the media and cultural sectors

ABSTRACT Using an extensive survey filled out by 2023 people working in the media and cultural sectors of Flanders, we analyse how job and status-related factors influence the likelihood of experiencing different types of sexual harassment in the media and cultural sector and how the effects may differ for male and female workers. We differentiate between three types of workplace-related sexual harassment: sexual communication, infantilization and physical advances. First, we look at two factors related to working in the media and cultural sector. A competitive work environment increases the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment for both men and women. Doing artistic work has a small but significant effect on infantilization for women. Second, we use Blumer’s group position model to understand how awareness of unequal career opportunities for women in the cultural and media industries influences the experience of sexual harassment. Women who perceive unequal career opportunities experience more sexual harassment; this is not the case for men. Having more professional recognition decreases the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment for men but not for women, which is also in line with the group position model.

University students' experiences of sexual harassment: the role of gender and psychological resilience.

This study aimed to investigate university students' experiences of different types of sexually harassing behaviors, within academia, as well as the role of gender and psychological resilience regarding their victimization and its consequences. Overall, 2,134 students (70.5% women), both undergraduates (81%) and postgraduates (19%), completed a self-reported online questionnaire regarding the variables involved (sexual harassment, consequences, and resilience). According to the results, the most prevailing types of sexually harassing behaviors, which were experienced mainly by women students, included offensive sexual comments/jokes/stories, inappropriate comments about one's body/appearance/sex life, as well as obscene ways of staring, obscene gestures, and/or exposure of body parts causing embarrassment. Accordingly, the perceived psycho-emotional and academic consequences of sexual harassment were more pronounced in the case of women. Furthermore, psychological resilience was negatively associated with gender, making women with low resilience more vulnerable to experiences of sexual harassment and more affected by its consequences. This study highlights important aspects of this gender-based aggressive behavior in academia and emphasizes the necessity for the implementation of appropriate policies and interventions in higher education institutions against sexual harassment.