What to do if you are a victim of sexual harassment?

About 78 % of students have experienced some form of sexual harassment [5]. For various reasons it is often difficult to actively defend yourself – the sexual assault often surprises and paralyses the victim. Moreover, if the victim is in a subordinate or dependent position (e.g. at an exam), she or he fears to protest. Another possible obstacle may be the victim’s concern of being labelled as “over-sensitive”. 

If you are sexually harassed, we want to assure you that:

• Your feelings are legitimate. Everyone has different boundaries. What is considered a joke by someone may be unpleasant or hurting for someone else. It is you who sets the boundaries of what you feel comfortable with.
• It is not your fault. When a person makes humiliating or sexist comments, improper proposals or physical assaults, it is never your fault. The responsibility always lies with the instigator.
• You are not alone in this. Sexual harassment represents an extreme mental load for its victim. There are a lot of people at the university and elsewhere who will help you to deal with the experience.
  • You can ask someone close to you or seek professional advice.
  • You can call the organization Modrá linka, who operate a helpline, or Persefona, who specialise in issues connected with domestic and sexual violence.
  • You can get in touch with the Psychological Counselling at the university.
  • You can contact one of the contact persons at MU or the Masaryk University ombuds who will provide you with individual advice and possibly help with reporting the incident within MU.
• It is not your duty to report the case. If it happens that you have been a victim of sexual harassment and you wish to tackle the situation:

• If possible, say NO. It is often difficult to express your disagreement, especially if there is a power imbalance. Therefore, if you do not say no, it cannot be automatically understood as a consent. It is useful to let the other person know that your boundaries have been transgressed, but if you cannot do it, do not blame yourself. It is not your duty to defend yourself; it is everyone’s duty not to commit sexual misconduct.
• Collect evidence. Keep the correspondence with the perpetrator, if any.
• If you become a victim of sexual abuse, you can report it to the police. In case you decide to do so, we recommend first getting in touch with Persefona, who will provide the necessary assistance and one of their staff may accompany you to the police station.

The StandUp Against Street Harassment project offers a 10-minute digital training session that can help you find out what to do if you are being harassed in public.

This text was created in collaboration with the Konsent association, which exposes myths about sex and sexual violence. All used text sources can be found below or here.

Sources: