Retaliation for Sexual Harassment

The victims of sexual harassment have just begun to feel and deal with the consequences of the act on them. Often what happens after the originating sexual harassment event is worse on the victim, their families and friends. Their true friends are found in this period. They are the ones who stand up for them and help them deal with the stress and/or damage that occur with the subsequent sexual harassment retaliation, backlash and victim blaming that often goes on after the main event. The confidentiality that was promised or expected takes second stage to the political events that follow. The lack of confidentiality being protected causes the victim to be punished outright for resisting the sexual advances or telling management or administration about the event.

The response of others to the sexual harassment event has been blamed in surveys and polls to be the most damaging or stressful part of the event. Everyone from coworkers, supervisors, human resources personnel, school administration, school friends were responsible for this stress in 50% of the respondents to a survey.

Retaliation for Sexual Harassment

You may ask what is retaliation discrimination and backlash. Retaliation is what happens to the victim because of the sexual harassment event after it has been reported. The actions against the victim are as varied as the creativity of the people responsible for the sexual harassment. There may in fact be more retaliation sexual harassment activities from others in the same environment; other colleagues of the original harasser try to do it again to the victim. Other activities that cause harm to the work activities of the victim may be undertaken. Things that cause the work of the victim to be called into question, to be sabotaged, things that demean the victim, cause their financial situation to deteriorate, are all things that could be used as retaliatory activities for the victim. In addition, those are just the tip of the iceberg, as the imagination is free to roam when creating these retaliations. The threats of physical harm through stalking or cyberstalking are also possible.

Backlash at Work

Backlash is more toward attitudes about the victim and how they change rather than direct actions against the victim, their family or friends. Isolating the victim from the normal activities they are usually a part of is one form of backlash where they just are no longer part of the crowd and nobody speaks to the victim any more. Whispers behind their backs that involve spreading rumors or other hostile actions are often forms of backlash.

There may be combinations of backlash and employment retaliation experienced so closely that it is hard to distinguish or the techniques are used in parallel or combination that makes the dissection of the result to be made easily. The result is the same; the victim is being negatively impacted in some way.

Liability for Retaliation

It should be noted that in some retaliation in workplace cases the employer is just as liable for the retaliation as they are for the actual harassment event. This is difficult to prove and requires a legal process to establish a series of causalities. However, know that it is illegal and making the retaliators aware of that might help put an end to it.

Another activity that occurs after a sexual harassment event is the tendency to blame the victim. Why and how his happens is the subject of much debate. But it dos happen and is usually wrong.

Contact one of our experienced employment attorneys in your area today!