Why So Many Women Don ’t Report Sexual Harassment and Assault

When women started coming out of the woodwork stating that they too had been sexually harassed or assaulted by a man, people wondered, “Why did they wait so long to report it?” and “Why didn’t they speak up at the time?” As a psychotherapist who has specialized in working with former victims of abuse for nearly forty years, I have found that there are actually many reasons why women don’t report sexual harassment and sexual assault, including: Denial and minimization. Many women refuse to believe that the treatment they endured was actually abusive. They downplay how much they have been harmed by sexual harassment and even sexual assault. Fear of the consequences. Many fear losing their job, not being able to find another job, being passed over for a promotion, being branded a troublemaker. Fear they will not be believed. Sexual misconduct is the most under-reported crime because victims’ accounts are often scrutinized to the point of exhaustion and there has been a long history of women not being believed. Shame. Shame is at the core of the intense emotional wounding women (and men) experience when they are sexually violated. Abuse, by its very nature, is humiliating and dehumanizing. The victim feels invaded and defiled, while simultaneously experiencing the indignity of being helpless and at the mercy of another person. This sense of shame often causes victims to blame themselves for the sexual misconduct of the perpetrator. Case in point, Lee Corfman, the ...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anger Criminal Justice General Men's Issues Policy and Advocacy PTSD Trauma Violence and Aggression Women's Issues #MeToo abuse of power Denial lack of support minimization Privilege self-blame Sexual Assault Sexual Haras Source Type: blogs