In America, female teachers do not have protections against sexual harassment from students. Many report “upskirting” videos by students have become popular. Yet, administrations do nothing to protect the staff. Teacher unions are calling for schools and government to seriously examine this issue.
About Sexual Harassment
In 2017, close to 13,000 Americans filed sexual harassment complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). There are different forms of sexual harassment. Sometimes, this creates a hostile work environment when there is severe and ongoing sexually offensive behavior. There are different liability rules, but federal, state and municipal laws clearly prohibit harassment based on sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Protecting Female Teachers from Sexual Harassment
Many teacher unions have received multiple complaints of children as young as 11 subjecting female teachers to upskirting videos. Also, students have Photoshopped a teacher’s face onto pornographic images. Many schools recognize the issue, yet banning mobile phones in classrooms doesn’t solve the problem.
This issue is being taken on by women in the UK. A case in Northern Ireland uncovered former pupils had a memory stick full of upskirting and images taken of multiple female teachers. However, the police refused to charge the kids. Also, the teachers could not even talk to colleagues about what they experienced, since it violated child protection procedures. The administration didn’t even spell the children involved. Instead, they were briefly suspended.
On April 12, 2019, upskirting became a criminal offense in England and Wales. American women hope that it will spread to this side of the pond as well.
Sexual Harassment Attorney
Therefore, if you have experienced sexual harassment in any form in the workplace, you should contact a qualified employment attorney as soon as possible. If the harassment has not stopped after making a formal complaint with your employer, consulting a harassment lawyer is your best option. Your attorney will be able to provide further guidance and help build a case to end the harassment.