How to Educate Children About Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is much more common in the schoolyard than in the workplace, so it is important to educate your children about this issue at an early age. Children who have been sexually harassed are often truant or may not perform as well academically. Teaching them to respect the boundaries of others and how to properly report inappropriate behavior is the key to reducing incidents of sexual harassment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Use language that is clear and concise when you educate children about sexual harassment. You want to use language that is age appropriate (especially if you are not the parent of the child), but at the same time you want them to fully understand the pain, fear and suffering that sexual harassment can cause.
2. Identify specific instances of sexual harassment that a child may experience. These may include dirty jokes, requests for sexual favors, sexually explicit graffiti, sexual gestures, unwelcome physical contact, talking about sexual experiences in front of other children, touching one's self in public, indecent exposure and spreading rumors about the sexual activities of other children.
3. Ask your child's school about specific policies toward sexual harassment, and the consequences of such behavior. Discuss these consequences with your children, emphasizing the pain and suffering and humiliation that may occur as the result of sexual harassment. Let them know in no uncertain terms that sexual harassment on school property may lead to suspension or expulsion, and possibly even criminal charges.
4. Educate your child about sexual harassment by letting them know that it is the right of everyone to be in an environment that is free of such unwanted behavior. Make sure they understand that sexual harassment is not the norm and that carrying such values into adulthood can be dangerous, illegal and may result in loss of assets through lawsuits, dismissal from jobs and even a prison sentence.
5. Look for warning signs that children might be the victim of sexual assault, or even the instigator of such behavior. Generally, children who have been sexually harassed may seem fearful or ashamed of their bodies, while children who do the harassing often seem aggressive or unusually curious about sexual matters.
6. Review information about sexual harassment with children on a regular basis. It's easy for a child to lapse into improper habits when peers are engaging in inappropriate behaviors that reinforce those habits.

Tips & Warnings

• As many as four out of five American students under the age of 18 will be the victims of sexual harassment in their schools this year.