Harassment Of Women Research Articles

Sex Education Training as Capacity Building Tool for Mothers and their Children with Intellectual Disability: A Qualitative Study

Sex is a biological need of human beings and the aspects of sexuality and sexual development are less discussed in people with intellectual disability (ID). Sex education training (SET) for persons with ID and their parents is pivotal in mitigating challenges and creating a safe and healthy space for expressing their sexual needs. The aim was (a) to see the effects of SET in the enhancement of knowledge and skills about sexual health among adults with ID, (b) To see the effect of mothers as an observer during SET on their perception, attitude and practice on sexual health for their children with ID. The sample consisted of 11 mothers and their children who were above 18 years with ID. Awareness of sexual health education for parents of intellectually challenged children and family life and sexual health assessment tools were used. A qualitative/descriptive analysis was done. SET was started for the period of three months, two sessions in a week, each session lasting one and half hours. It was done in a playful manner on self and social awareness, safe/unsafe touch, relationships, personal safety rules and sexual harassment of women at workplace (POSH). SET shows not only enhancement in the level of awareness, knowledge on sexual health but also improved communication skills and decision-making skills among adults with ID and their mothers. Mothers feel more confident and comfortable to have open discussions with their children on sexual health.

Conceptualising school-level responses to sexual harassment of women teachers as institutional gaslighting

This paper conceptualises the inaction of school leadership teams in response to systemic sexual harassment as institutional gaslighting, a theoretical tool to date unutilised in studies of sexual harassment in educational settings. Drawing on case studies of two women teachers who experienced sustained sexual harassment in Australian schools, and whose leadership responded with denial, minimisation and intentional mixed messaging, we argue that schools are home to and perpetuate unequal epistemic terrains, where women’s knowing is under­mined by dominant operations of the school that work to maintain structural and cultural norms. These norms, we suggest, are informed by hegemonic masculinity and feminine stereotypes of irrationality and deviance, and prevent violence against women in schools being addressed. We argue that institutional gaslighting is a productive concept to expose the epistemic injustice that delegitimates women’s knowledge of their experience and help in addressing systemic issues with responding to sexual harassment in schools.

Subordination to Women, Anger, and Endorsement of Violence Against Women: A Test of General Strain Theory

Using Agnew’s (1992) general strain theory (GST), we assess the connection between men’s strained masculinity (stress at subordination to women scenarios), anger produced by strained masculinity, and endorsing friends’ harassment and abuse of women. In a convenience sample of 859 men aged 18 to 32, men who report greater strain and anger in response to hypothetical scenarios and men higher in trait anger are more likely to endorse friends’ violence against women. We contribute to GST by testing the effects of both state and trait anger as a link between strained masculinity and endorsement of violence and exploitation of women.

Studying the Factors Contributing to the Sexual Harassment of Women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan: A Social Perspective

This research looked at the social causes of sexual harassment of women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, and discovered workable solutions. The study included descriptive analyses, content analysis, field-based data collecting, and a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews with married women who experienced sexual harassment, offenders, and community members were used to gather qualitative data. Two hundred semi-structured interviews with a representative sample of married women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, were conducted as part of the survey research approach. This research examined the ways in which patriarchal attitudes, societal norms, dominant expectations, sexual perception, non-mahrams, cohabitation, excessive freedom, honor culture contribute to sexual harassment. The study, based on feminist theory, identified 20 societal factors contributing to sexual harassment, including social stigma, lack of knowledge, and negligent legal enforcement, and suggested preventive measures like community education campaigns and legislative changes. In Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, sexual harassment of women is a serious issue with societal contributing elements. Effective prevention of sexual harassment requires a holistic strategy that addresses societal norms, empowers women, and strengthens legal frameworks, while also considering cultural norms, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and a culture of silence. In order to advance gender equality, provide safer surroundings, and stop sexual harassment of women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, this paper makes specific recommendations for legislators, non-governmental organizations, and local authorities. Based on these findings, this study recommends evidence-based prevention methods. These could involve advertisements for sexual harassment awareness, legal changes for better protection, and training for law enforcement on handling complaints more effectively.

CRITIQUING DELEGATED LEGISLATION ON PREVENTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN IN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Sexual harassment of women in the workplace is a serious issue in India, affecting all social and professional sectors, including elite higher education institutions. This problem violates women's fundamental rights to equality and livelihood, breaches professional ethics, and hampers the productivity and potential of many academics. Although the Indian Parliament enacted a comprehensive law in 2013 to address sexual harassment at workplaces, the implementation, especially in educational institutions, is flawed due to bureaucratic inefficiencies. There is a lack of unbiased analysis on how delegated regulations by administrative authorities undermine the law's intent. This research article conducts a legal analysis of the law's implementation in higher educational institutions, using doctrinal research methodology. It identifies subjective and ultra vires provisions introduced by ideologically driven bureaucrats that compromise the law's validity and effectiveness. The study highlights deviations in delegated legislation from the original law and suggests corrective measures to address significant flaws in the regulations framed by the University Grants Commission.

The Prevalence of Sexual Harassment and Bullying Among Norwegian Afghanistan Veterans: Does Workplace Harassment Disproportionately Impact the Mental Health and Life Satisfaction of Female Soldiers?

Experiencing sexual harassment and bullying during military service can lead to negative consequences for a soldier's mental health and life satisfaction, including increased risk of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. No studies have to date investigated the prevalence and correlates of sexual harassment and bullying among Norwegian Afghanistan veterans, despite the increased global focus on these topics. In 2020, 6,205 Norwegian Afghanistan veterans (8.3% women) completed an online post-deployment survey, including questions about experiences of sexual harassment, bullying, mental health, and life satisfaction. Compared to their male counterparts, female veterans experienced significantly more sexual harassment and bullying during Afghanistan deployment (3.2% vs. 0.04% for experiencing sexual harassment, and 4.0% vs. 1.0% for bullying) and during other military services (14.3% vs. 0.4% for sexual harassment, and 15.9% vs. 3.7% for bullying). Sexual harassment was associated with younger age and experiencing childhood sexual harassment for both women and men, with men also having longer deployments. Bullying was associated with longer deployments and childhood sexual harassment for women, while men who reported bullying more often had longer deployments, held an officer rank, were less inclined to have a spouse/intimate partner, and reported childhood sexual harassment and bullying. Both sexual harassment and bullying were associated with increased risk of mental health problems and reduced life satisfaction for women, but this was only true for bullying among men. Despite lower reported rates of workplace harassment compared to studies from other cultures, this study demonstrates that sexual harassment and bullying in the military can negatively impact soldiers' mental health and life satisfaction. Notably, female veterans' mental health and life satisfaction appear to be particularly affected by sexual harassment during military service, an association not seen in males. This underscores the need for gender-specific, cultural, and context-sensitive prevention and support for workplace harassment experiences.

Prevalence and determinants of discrimination or harassment of women: Analysis of cross-sectional data from Bangladesh.

This study aimed to explore the prevalence and determinants of discrimination against or harassment among Bangladeshi women. The nationally representative cross-sectional data of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 were employed in the study. Women aged 15-49 were asked whether they felt discrimination or harassment due to seven potential reasons in the last twelve months before the survey. The outcome was a binary variable indicating whether a woman has experienced discrimination or harassment for any of the seven reasons. Responses were obtained from 64378 women and analysed through bivariate and multivariate procedures. The data had a hierarchical structure since women were nested within the clusters. A mixed-effects logistic regression model was used to analyse the data appropriately. A strong association between discrimination or harassment was seen with the functional difficulties of women. Notably, women with functional difficulties were 1.629 times more likely to experience discrimination or harassment than women without such difficulties. Other significant factors were the respondents' area, age, education, current marital status, wealth index quintile and ethnicity. The study concludes that education, marital status, functional difficulties and wealth index are the most important determinants of discrimination or harassment of women.

IoT based Women Safety Smart System Development

Designing an effective system for women's safety is essential for reducing crimes against women and prosecuting the guilty. Women harassment at workplace, public transport etc., has been a rising concern all over the world. An early action and proper mechanism could reduce the number of crimes against women. The development of a Women Safety Smart System within the Internet of Things (IoT) domain represents a significant advancement in leveraging technology to address the pressing issue of women's safety. This paper outlines the design, implementation, and potential impact of such a system, which integrates IoT devices, sensors, and data analytics to create a proactive safety infrastructure. Key components of the system include IoT-enabled wearables, smart surveillance and monitoring systems, a dedicated mobile application, and predictive analytics capabilities. These components work synergistically to provide real-time monitoring, timely intervention, and community engagement in ensuring the safety and well-being of women. By harnessing IoT technology, this system offers a scalable and adaptable solution to mitigate risks, empower women, and foster societal change. The paper discusses the benefits, challenges, and future directions of Women Safety Smart Systems in the IoT domain, highlighting their potential to transform safety paradigms and promote inclusivity and equality in urban environments.

Endorsing Precarious Manhood Beliefs Is Associated With Sexual Harassment Myths Acceptance in Italian Men and Women.

The present study aimed to expand the understanding of the correlates of sexual harassment myths, a set of beliefs that serve to justify male perpetrators. Data collected among Italian adults (N = 407; 59.5% women) showed that individual levels of precarious manhood beliefs-according to which manhood is a social status that must be proven via public action-were related to greater sexual harassment myths acceptance in male and female respondents. Such associations were mediated by hostile sexism and benevolence toward men. Findings suggest that interventions to reduce tolerance of sexual harassment of women should target cultural views of manhood and counteract rigid models of masculinity and femininity.

Gendered Anti-Blackness: Policing Black Women and the Making of the Modern City

The Streets Belong to Us makes a significant contribution to multiple fields, most principally the history of race, gender, sexuality, incarceration, and state violence in the United States. It is a definitive history of the changing nature of police power, and the ways that it defined, defended, and enforced the logics that undergirded racial segregation. Illuminating the significant degree to which urban policymaking and planning depended on state violence, Anne Fischer compels us to better appreciate the relation between the making and the remaking of the modern city and the consolidation of police power. To do so, we must see that this connection was made possible through the surveillance, harassment, and sexual criminalization of Black women. Women’s bodies, particularly Black women’s bodies, acted as the constitutive material that made up the very fabric of state power and racial segregation. Along with presenting an analysis of the racial and gendered dimensions of morals law enforcement, The Streets Belong to Us moves Black women out of the shadows of urban history by grounding the analysis within the intellectual production by Black feminist organizers and scholars. Their concept of gendered anti-Blackness proved indispensable to feminist antiviolence struggles of the late twentieth century.

Gig Workers: Challenges and Legal Recognition in India

As Gig economy is growing in India, The Gig workers should properly be recognized by the legislation for making the social security and welfare policies for their development. Ambiguity in Identifying and distinguishing Gig workers from other workers including Unorganized workers has become a great challenge to make legislation for the welfare of the Gig workers. The Gig workers who are not clearly defined in the code on social security 2020 have become a great challenge and difficult to keep them under employer-employer relationship which makes legislative body unable to make policies on subject matter relating to social security. The challenge can be removed by the judicial interpretation which becomes the basis for the legislative amendment in the future for the proper legal recognition of the Gig workers in the country. The recognition should be extended to the Sexual Harassment of women at workplace act (prevention, prohibition and redressal) act 2013. So, that the women Gig workers can also be protected against sexual harassment at workplace.

An unsafe space: Sexualization, dehumanization, and the harassment of women on social media.

An unsafe space: Sexualization, dehumanization, and the harassment of women on social media.

Factors associated with family planning use among refugee and host populations in Adjumani district, West Nile, Uganda: a comparative study

IntroductionUganda currently hosts an estimated 1.5 million refugees. The refugees have challenges in accessing family planning (FP) services in the host country. The study aimed to investigate factors associated with FP use among host and refugee populations in Adjumani district, Uganda.MethodsA comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2021 in three refugee settlements and their host communities in Adjumani district. A total of 1,310 respondents, (664 refugees and 646 host) were randomly selected using multistage cluster sampling and interviewed. Quantitative data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using STATA V.15. Descriptive and Multivariate analysis performed.ResultsWe found that modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR) was 30.2% (32.2% for host and 28.2% for refugees). Multivariate analysis showed that women who live singly (AOR = 2.25, 95%, CI: 1.56 -3.84), completed primary education [AOR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.27–2.16], acquired skills [AOR = 2.28, 95% CI: 2.11–2.47], have the desire for another child [AOR = 3.73, 95% CI: 1.45- 9.60], have stayed in the study area between 3–5 years [AOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.46–3.42] were statistically significantly associated with FP use among both refugee and host populations. The key barrier to FP use by host was harassment of women and separation/divorce for not consulting the family members. Whereas amongst the refugees, they do not want to use FP methods.ConclusionOur findings revealed low FP use amongst both populations in Adjumani district. The main factors associated with FP use amongst refugee populations included marital status, level of education, type of occupation, and duration of stay in the study area whereas amongst the host is the marital status. Main reasons for not using FP methods included fear of side effects by hosts and not wanting to use FP by refugees. There is need to sensitize both communities about the benefits of FP at community level.

Bystanders' thresholds for intervention in Black vs. White women's sexual harassment.

Black women's sexual harassment is often overlooked and dismissed relative to White women's harassment. In three pre-registered experiments, we test whether this neglect extends to bystander intervention in sexual harassment. Participants observed an ostensibly live job interview between a man manager and a Black or White woman job candidate. The manager's questions were pre-programmed to grow increasingly harassing, and participants were asked to intervene if/when they found the interview inappropriate. A meta-analysis of the three studies (N = 1487), revealed that bystanders did not differ in their threshold for intervention when sexual harassment targeted the Black vs. White woman. Despite evidence for the relative neglect of Black women in responses to sexual harassment, these data suggest that bystanders may respond similarly for Black and White women.

Women Safety Device with GPS Tracking and Alerts

Abstract: Women safety is a very important issue due to rising crimes against women these days. Most of thewomen in India have experienced some form ofviolence or harassment in public. There is a growth in crimes related to women harassment and themain reason that a woman is being a victim is lack of public security and inability of a woman to defend her. A new approach is given towards the security of women in the form of a device. This device consists of a system that ensures dual alerts in case a woman is harassed or she thinks she is in trouble. This system can be turned on bya woman in case she even thinks she would be in trouble. It is useful because once an incident occurs with a woman she may or may not get the chance to press the emergency button. Theobjective of the device is to provide women with a tool that can provide them security and ensure their safety in case of any mishap. The fingerprint module consists GSM/GPS module for alerting and location tracking all interfaced with a microcontroller to design a compact device which will be handy and easily portable.

A Survey on Harassment of Women in Social Media: Bangladesh Perspective

A Survey on Harassment of Women in Social Media: Bangladesh Perspective

Aggression, psychological violence and sexual harassment in seafarers in France.

In a working environment that is predominantly male, very tough physically, with a difficult working environment, occupational exposures and working, verbal and physical aggression can be more frequent than in other sectors. Fishing, merchant shipping and yachting are all sectors where fitness to sail is reassessed every year by doctors in the Seafarers' Health Service. Seafarers are increasingly reporting insulting, violent or sexist behaviour. The main types of abuse seen on board can be verbal and/or physical aggression, humiliation, whether in private or in front of others. Sexual harassment of women is a very worrying subject. It was a retrospective observational study which is part of the professional monitoring of seafarers. The target population was adult seafarers coming for a fitness to sail visit. The group was recruited from seafarers aged over 18 who were being monitored by one of the seafarers' health services (or local centres). The inclusion period was 4 months between January and April 2023. All the information was collected using a self-questionnaire developed from the questionnaires of the Surveillance Médicale des Expositions des Salariés au Risques Professionnels (SUMER) for health status, job satisfaction and the European mini-module, verbal and physical aggression and psychological violence at work (based on the Leymann questionnaire), sexual violence and aggression based on the sexual harassment questionnaire and the PCLS-5 scale validated and translated into French to assess post-traumatic stress. The population studied was therefore 788 sailors. The study population was predominantly male (82.3%). The average age was 41.4 years (standard deviation = 11.7). 46.7% of seafarers estimate being in very good health. During the past 12 months, overall, 24.5% of seafarers disclaimed having been victim in work-related context of a verbal aggression, with a significant difference according to the gender (21.1% for men and 41.0% for women). During the last 12 months, overall, 3.2% of seafarers have been victim in work-related context of a physical aggression (2.6% for men and 5.8% for women, NS), whereas 10.9% of seafarers reported hostile behaviour at present. Twenty per cent of seafarers reported sexual harassment in the last 12 months. During the entire working life of seafarers, 65.5% of women and 38.2% of men reported sexual harassment, and 38.8% of seafarers stated that they had experienced at least one traumatic event in the last 12 months. A quarter of seafarers say they have been the victim of verbal or physical aggression at work in the last twelve months. These figures are high, and higher than those of the global survey on violence and harassment at work carried out by the International Labour Organization. One of the most alarming results of our study is the overexposure of women working in the maritime industry to the risk of physical, verbal or sexual assault of any kind. Indeed, in all the questions concerning the experience of verbal and physical aggression, the number of women victims is twice as high as that of their male colleagues, and this difference is statistically significant. As far as prevention is concerned, it seems that an effort is needed in terms of information, since only one seafarer in two knows the procedure to follow in the event of aggression within their shipyard. Communication between shipowners and seafarers needs to be stepped up to ensure that everyone is familiar with the procedures.

Interrogating the Muteness in Lavanya Sankaran’s The Hope Factory

Indian women authors who write in English represent the realities of India in the current Indian literary scene. They have a lot of duties in the literary community. As researchers in anthropology sociologists, novelists, essayists, and travel writers, they carry out their duties with remarkable skill and then assume worldwide responsibility for promoting peace in their capacity as ambassadors. Additionally, they have created the odd contradiction of reading and appreciating how skillfully they address the problems of sexual harassment of women in post-colonial and postmodern contexts, including rape and the exploitation of Indian women in modern society. The autobiography of The Red Carpet novelist Lavanya Sankaran describes her journey from an ordinary lady to a writer. She desired to tell tales in which she would be able to identify the characters.

Translating harassment: cross cultural reconstruction of the feminist identity in translated fiction

The issue of the sexual harassment of women is often discussed in academic literature, but how this issue is dealt with translated works has rarely been investigated. Targeting this lacuna, this study analyses the construction of the identity of the sexually harassed woman in two selected translations of a single novel. It also investigates how the translators’ perspectival positions are reflected in the translated versions of the source text. Mastoor’s Urdu novel, Aangan, and its two English translations by Rockwell and Hussain were chosen and used a parallel corpus. NLTK is used for the extraction of frequencies and concordances from this corpus. The data are analysed through critical discourse analysis (CDA), while drawing upon the theoretical assumptions of feminist translation. Both translators used discursive and translation strategies according to their perspectival positions. Rockwell has treated the issue of sexual harassment with sensitivity, whereas Hussain has shown tolerance of it and romanticized this issue. The image of the harassed woman appears maintained or magnified in Rockwell’s text, in which feminist translation strategies of supplementing, hijacking, adding commentary, substituting, deleting, adding and intensifying discursive choices were found to be employed. However, Hussain presented the same gender ideology as the one found in the source text, at times, the image of harassment was found to be de-emphasized in the translated version. She has mainly used the translation strategies of literal translation, omission, and explicitness. Moreover, the discursive processes of foregrounding, mitigated linguistic choices, and nominalisation were also employed. The findings imply that both translated texts depict the translators’ subjectivity, where the Rockwell’s translation seems to highlight the image of sexual harassment of women in Pakistani society.

Narratives from the Margin: Sexual Harassment and Strategies of Resistance

In India, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 completed its ten years in April 2023. However, this is a crucial time to review its effects, provisions, and the awareness about the Act, and how much it has percolated at the grassroots level. Consequently, we must pay attention to the voices from the margin in order to comprehend the situation and need to bring these voices to the center to point out the lacuna and challenges of the Act as well as strengthen the discourse around the sexual harassment of women at the workplace. The study based on empirical findings, focuses on experiences of women workers at a wholesale vegetable market in Pune1 and follows an ethnographic approach. The article argues that mainstream discourse on sexual harassment does not acknowledge experiences of women from the bottom of the socio-economic margins and it is a caste-blind gender discourse. Caste shapes women’s experiences of sexual harassment at workplace differently and sometimes to mitigate the risk, women apply different strategies and build alternative mechanisms to combat sexual harassment at the workplace.