Even in times of great emotional duress, it is helpful to know how to communicate your problems effectively to get the right kind of assistance. You do not need to be an auto mechanic to be able to describe the problem you are having.
The same principle applies in civil rights law. Many people who feel they are being sexually harassed in the workplace will refer to the Internet to try and understand exactly how to express their issue. A good example is people understanding the difference between quid pro quo and a hostile environment.
A productive workplace is one that is built on mutual respect, an understanding of personal boundaries, and a combined desire for the company to succeed. In an ideal world, every employee and member of the management team would be focused on creating a healthy workplace for everyone. But unfortunately, there are those who have their own agendas that undermine mutual respect and a healthy workplace.
The foundation for a sexual harassment or assault case is often consent. Sometimes a person may feel like they made a mistake having sex with someone, but it can be hard to classify that situation as actionable if consent was freely given on both sides. Does that same dynamic apply to the workplace? Is it still sexual harassment or assault if both sides give consent?
Sexually-oriented crimes generally can be put into one of two categories; sexual assault, or sexual harassment. Abuse, when you examine the many different terms associated with it, can cover all of those crimes and more. The different forms of abuse include:
Sexual coercion is the act of getting someone to “consent” to sex when they do not want to by using guilt, blackmail, tricks, or using the victim’s weakness against them (for example, offering drinks to a recovering alcoholic to get that person to consent to sex). Sexual coercion can cause emotional and psychological trauma that could last for many years. It is important for people to be able to understand the different situations in which coercion can occur so they can do their best to avoid it.
Sexual coercion is a crime that can be committed in many different ways by many different types of people. While it is more common for men to attempt to coerce women, it does happen that women use sexual coercion on men. It is important to understand what sexual coercion is and recognize how it happens to be able to prevent it.
