For women reporting sexual harassment cases in the workplace, the situation is stark. “It’s pretty dire,” says Karlene Moore, a counsellor with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre.
“Steps are rarely taken immediately to remove the alleged offenders,” she notes. Moore’s statements echo the findings of a recent Varsity expose on the University Health Network (Feb. 23 issue).
Moore notes that although most workplaces, especially large ones, have policies on harassment, the implementation of those policies is often lacking. “When workplaces have policies, they need to enact them,” notes Moore, adding that in the best-case scenario, “the woman stays and the offender is removed; but does that happen?”
According to the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, only four in 10 women actually report being sexually harassed.
Perhaps one of the reasons is the high stakes involved. In reporting harassment, women not only have to worry about their personal safety, but their careers as well.
Gwen Schwartz, a Toronto woman dealing with an ongoing sexual harassment case, has an open file with the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and knows how scary bringing a sexual harassment case to an employer can be. “They isolate you and marginalize you from your peers and colleagues and your work. They prey on your sensibilities,” Schwartz says of her ordeal.
Moore confirms that the bureaucracy surrounding cases can be overwhelming. “[the victim] feels cheated: ‘I played by the rules, what’s going?”,” adding “a lot of women end up leaving.”
Mounting a challenge can also be very costly, not to mention lengthy. “When a deal finally comes across it’s usually for a small sum of money,” says Moore.
But for Schwartz, enough was enough, and she refuses to be silent anymore. “No one can tell you that you can’t speak out. You do not have to cave in to their threats.”
For Moore, workplaces need to be more proactive in fighting sexual harassment. “They need to be very clear with employees what behaviour is acceptable and back that up.”
