'Enough!! I am tired of this treatment!' an employee shouted to her superior. 'So what?' the superior replied, 'Do you have any proof against me? No, so shut up." This dialogue is short but it is very common in work place and schools among teachers and students. Often enough, I was still  studying when this treatment took place at my old college. Now, I want to tell you that this is very serious.



Sexual harassment is a form of bullying, abuse or extortion of a sexual nature. This form of extortion can be both physical, verbal and behavioural. When I ask my friend about sexual harassment, the first thing that came to their mind is the classic molestation in office. This scene was placed in their mind by the Hong Kong drama series that they had watched recently. In one of the episode, there was a scene where the female employee was molested by her male employer. She wanted to fill a report but she could not do it because she was afraid of loosing her job. Yes, this is a form of sexual harassment that is still found today in workplace, schools and even restaurants. However, there are three different ways of harassing someone sexually.



The obvious one is the physical sexual harassment, the most easily detected method as well. Like what I have just mentioned, it can be seen in drama series that we watched today. Why would it be easier to detect and prevented? There are rules for such offences and the penalty is usually payment or being in jail, depending on the regulations of the country. Besides that, women are educated and know how to prevent this from occurring again. The second and third one will be harder to detect and prevent. Behavioural is based on the behaviour of the offender towards the victim. Sometime, this form can be misleading because no human behave the same way toward another person. It is assumed that when someone look at another person in a bad or perverse manner, then that is a form of sexual harassment. However, it is hard to know if it is bad or misunderstanding.

The third form is verbal. Using words, the offender can harass the victim sexually without being caught. This form is hard to detect because it may be misunderstood or it could be just a slur. I remember when I was in my previous college, Methodist College, that this incident happened. The guards are there to ensure no stranger enter the college without registering for a pass and students without their student pass. However, they always comment about my female classmates and friends about how they should dress. It started at the beginning of the first semester and lasted for two months. Eventually, the college administration hired new guards to replace these guards. So, it is not easy to detect since it takes two months to investigate. However, it is not impossible to detect.

What sexual harassment can do are damages and further studies. Sexual harassment can lead to more problems in the society. One of the most lethal problems is rape. It may look silly but it is true. Some offender take the rejection as excitement and it escalates. Based on what my friend in the US had said to me, her friend was first sexually harassed before she file a restraining order. A few weeks later, she was rape and the offender was still free because of little to no physical evidence. This is just one out of many damage it can caused. However, there are studies on sexual harassment that help reduces such injustice and make everyone work and study better without fear. It is through these studies that we can know more about sexual harassment and its effect.


Sexual harassment can be prevented if we worked together. We must be aware of our surroundings to be more cautious. We must be also brave to report such things, otherwise it will continue. Remember these two sayings:

"It is not what your country can do for you. It is what you can do for your country." President JFK during his presidency.

"If there is a will, there is a way."

Enjoy your day and lets put a stop to sexual harassment. Leave some some comment for us to improve and have your voice heard.