What Does “Prevention” Look Like?

Five Long Beach teens arrested for allegedly groping classmates

Last Tuesday, a female student at Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, CA reported that “boys circled her and grabbed her body after lunchtime”. The young men were arrested and have been charged with misdemeanor sexual battery. The article is unclear whether there have been multiple incidents of assault reported, simply saying that the students allegedly groped “female classmates”.

One of the issues that the Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools struggles with is figuring out the ideal way for schools to enforce rules addressing sexual harassment. And what are “appropriate” “punishments” for violating these rules.

CGES consistently returns to education as the logical, and necessary, first step. Nearly no one in schools is equipped to recognize and properly address sexual harassment or assault when it happens. How then, do we expect people to follow or enforce the rules?

Due to this overwhelming lack of knowledge, in many cases, as in Long Beach, once the harassing behaviors are recognized and responded to, they have already reached the level of sexual assault and the legal system is the proper recourse. The recognition and proper response to sexual harassment before the point of assault is vital so that further escalation is prevented.

After mentioning a sexual harassment sensitivity training that will be implemented, L.A. Now quotes Chris Eftychiou, the Long Beach Unified School District spokesman, as saying,

“Hopefully this is extent of it…But we just want parents to know they and their children should feel comfortable approaching the school if they even suspect anything like this occurring.”

It’s unfortunate that it takes the assault of young women to make a school district aware and vocal about sexual harassment.

But here’s to the vision of more students, in Long Beach and everywhere, reporting sexual harassment and assault when it happens and being taken seriously.

Horrors of Reporting Sexual Harassment

The headline reads Student: Bus driver tried to enforce rules. But sometimes trying isn’t enough. And judging from the story, “rules” are not the only thing in question. It seems a little more like laws.

The news story itself is about a young woman who is involved in a criminal trial against male students who are accused of sexual assault, and the bus driver who is accused of criminal neglect by “ignoring the repeated abuses committed on the bus by three male students.” While the details of the alleged crime are spelled out, it is the tone of the attorneys in the article that is most disturbing. (In an update, Terry Burch has been cleared of criminal neglect charges, with an argument that only one complaint was filed.)

The attorneys are attempting to blame the young woman for her assault. They had another female student testify that the young woman was “friendly with at least one of the boys.” (Perhaps ignoring the fact that up to 89% of youth who had experienced sexual violence said it was committed against them by someone they knew.)

However, “Both girls testified the boys also harassed girls within school itself.” Attempting to normalize sexual assault, simply because harassment is prevalent within the school system, seems absurd. If anything, the culture of harassment that is inherent within the school system (both this district and most others) means that sexual assault should be more severe a crime.

“Sexual Harassment and Assault in NYC Subways”

Girls for Gender Equity’s very own Director of Community Organizing, Meghan Huppuch, was quoted about bystander intervention in incidences of sexual harassment in an article on the New York Times’ City Room blog.

Sexual Harassment Is ‘No. 1 Quality of Life Offense’ on Subways, Police Say

Meghan testified yesterday morning on behalf of New Yorkers for Safe Transit and the Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools about the experiences of young women of color in the transit system. The NYC Council hearing, “Sexual Harassment and Assault on NYC Subways”, was held jointly by the Committees on Women’s Issues, Public Safety and Transportation.

From the article:

“The victim is feeling very alone,” said Meghan Huppuch, the director of community organizing at Girls for Gender Equity, who testified at the hearing.

A person who speaks up, Ms. Huppuch said, “is not only letting them know you are there, but also calling attention to this person, letting them know you’ve seen them.”

Also, a commenter brings up a very good point in the comments section.

How about, instead of directing these public service campaigns towards the victims of the harassment, direct them at the perpetrators? I think we should have signs on the subway that are as harsh as those warning against assaulting an MTA employee. For example: “You have no right to ogle, improperly touch, assault, or otherwise bother women on the train. If you do, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Sexual harassment is pervasive in society, and can be seen everywhere. By addressing it specifically in schools, the Coalition works to create an environment in which harassment can be stopped early. Obviously our hope is that this culture change will disseminate into the larger NYC population.

Added: Please see This Post on hollabacknyc for more links to news stories about sexual harassment on public transportation.

Subtle Sex Discrimination?

The Daily Princetonian ran an article about how all 10 Presidents of Princeton Eating Clubs are men this year.

The article discusses several possible reasons, ranging from women being discouraged, to women being smart enough to stay out of the legal battles. But, the most troubling is the idea that some of the women have “internaliz(ed) the notion that club presidents are typically men.”

I do not think that this internalization comes completely by surprise, and it can almost be directly linked to the same attitudes that exist in a society that normalizes sexual harassment. Many of the stereotypes that surround women, like they are too weak to enforce rules, or do not have anything to gain from leadership positions, or that they are encouraged to run for background positions, also can lead to the idea that women are simply not as good as men.

By identifying these subtle ways that sexism persists in society, one can also make parallels in how young women in schools are seen, and how sexual harassment is simply one symptom of a much larger discussion. By focusing on eradicating sexual harassment and all forms of gender based violence, we can move forward the goal of equity for all students.

Notes from the October Meeting

The Coalition for Gender Equity in Schools had a great working meeting on
October 28, 2009! Here’s an update about how it went, our next meeting’s
date and location, and a snippet about our new blog -

http://genderequity.wordpress.com.

Next Meeting:
Our next meeting will be held at TRUCE, at Harlem Children’s Zone, on
November 18, 2009, from 4 to 6pm. The address is 147 St. Nicholas Ave (at
corner of 118th St) New York, NY 10026.

New Blog:
In addition, we have a new blog! The address is
http://genderequity.wordpress.com. On the blog we will highlight news
about in school sexual harassment, items of interest about the New York City
Department of Education, and how sexual harassment impacts students.
Please send us interesting information or articles you’d like to see
posted!

We are also using it as a promotional vehicle for the Coalition, and will be
including information about the members of the Coalition. Yet another
great reason to join! Please email us if you’d like a membership
agreement.

Meeting Summary:
After brief introductions, we discussed our September
meeting, and our current projects for the year. We have projects within
Education, which include development of a “Know your Right” Pamphlet, and
development of a curriculum around the documentary “Hey…Shorty!” We also
are working on our advocacy actions, which include developing contacts and
communications with the Department of Education. These fall underneath
the new umbrella campaign (yet to be named), which will incorporate media
awareness of the Coalition.

The individual projects met and developed a timeframe for their project,
and their goals for the year. By the end of t he year, we hope to have a
single lesson curriculum developed for “Hey…Shorty!,” with a longer term
goal of multiple lessons. We will have the pamphlet developed and the
start of a distribution campaign. In addition, we will continue to meet
with and work with the Department of Education to create safer schools
free of sexual harassment.

Possible Signs of Sexual Harassment

Middle School Student Arrested for inappropriate behavior.

A middle school student from Amarillo, Texas was arrested, after a female classmate complained about his inappropriate behavior, including groping.

The article gives a great example of how a school can handle these discussions and incidences. While arresting a student may not be ideal, offering counseling for all parties involved, and a thorough investigation before determining a final result, which could include suspension.

But, the article also points out several warning signs to be aware of in students. Since a lot of students do not report sexual harassment, being aware of changes in behavior may be a clue that a student is being harassed.

Family Support Services Counselor Ashley Cox says, “it happens more than you realize. Six out of ten students report experiencing some sort of physical sexual harassment during their school years.” In fact, Cox says seventh grade is when it happens the most. She adds harassment victims could be reluctant to come forward for fear of retaliation from the perpetrator, students, or the school. She also says victims could experience anxiety or depression.

To parents, Cox says if their daughters start wearing baggy clothing, want to avoid school more than usual, start getting bad grades, or have nightmares, they could have been harassed.

More Adverse Effects

In this article, researchers are looking at workplace harassment, and the psychological effects of it. The study discusses “ambient behaviors (sexual materials, jokes, discussions) being more frequent than direct behaviors (sexual attention or advances, touching, exposure of private body parts).” In both cases, these behaviors were not always labeled as offensive.

However, when the researchers looked at psychological measures, even if the individual reported positive reactions to the sexual behaviors (ambient or direct), they had some harmful effects.

“The more frequently an employee experienced sexual behaviors, the more often they reported being withdrawn from work, regardless of whether they reported positive or negative attitudes towards such behavior….There was no evidence of any positive effects of sexual behavior at work on individual workers’ happiness, well-being, or a happy work life.”

As with our previous post about adverse effects, sexual harassment is still harassment, even if not immediately seen as negative. The environment in which sexual harassment can flourish is harmful in itself, and the harassment can have negative repercussions even if seemingly positive at the time.