Preventing Sexual Harassment
and Sexual Assault
UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS
AND BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION
FOR STUDY ABROAD STUDENTS
Presented by Callista Lee, M.S.
California State Certified Sexual Assault Victims Counselor
Volunteer for Community Service Programs of Orange County
Clarifying Sexual Harassment
 Unwelcome sexual advances,
requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual
nature when…
 submission to or rejection of this
conduct explicitly or implicitly affects
an individual’s employment,
unreasonably interferes with an
individual’s work performance or
creates an intimidating, hostile or
offensive work environment. (U.S. EEOC)
Colleges prohibit sexual harassment too
 Between students
 Between staff
 Between students and staff
 The learning environment
(both on and off-campus)
is to be a safe and
welcoming space for
everyone.
 Refer to your college catalog for
policies on student conduct.
Examples
 Written – suggestive or
obscene letters, notes or
posts
 Verbal – derogatory
comments, slurs, jokes,
epithets
 Physical – touching,
impeding movement, pulling
at/off clothing
 Visual – spying, flashing,
inappropriate pictures
 Continuing to express sexual interest after being
informed that the interest is unwelcome.
 Using one’s power over another to coerce sexual
behavior
Impact of Sexual Harassment in Schools
 Emotional
 Feeling embarrassed
 Feeling self-conscious
 Feeling afraid
 Feeling confused about one’s self
 Feeling depressed
 Educational
 Not wanting to go to school
 Not wanting to participate as much in class
 Finding it hard to pay attention
 Making lower grades
 Dropping out
Coping with Cultural Differences
 Many Italian men believe that all foreign women are
wanton sluts who find Latin lotharios irresistible and
whose repeated insistence that they want to be left
alone is merely a cute foreign way of saying “Please
take me to bed, you delicious Italian stallion.”
Things are changing slowly in Italy
 But the majority of Italian women still report that they
have been the victim of at least one of the following
forms of sexual harassment:
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Obscene telephone calls
Acts of exhibitionism
Unwanted touching
Sexual intimidation on the job
 The E.U. supports equality and a harassment free society
but in many cases, attempts at reform are considered
part of a moral crusade imported from the U.S.
Getting the Italians on your side
 Complain loudly and repeatedly so that everyone in
the vicinity is aware of what is happening. The
majority of Italians, especially women, are appalled
by this barbaric behavior and will do all they can to
assist you.
 But if you are clearly intoxicated you will receive
considerably less sympathy and assistance. Italians
think badly of women who allow themselves to get
drunk.
 A woman dining alone can signal that she does not
want to be disturbed by putting a book or her work
on the table.
Avoid looking like a target
 Don’t allow yourself to get drunk in public. Tourists
who are drunk are magnets for the dregs of society
who are looking to rob or assault you.
 Use the buddy system and have a designated “sober
friend” if you do go out partying.
 Dress and act as well-behaved Italians do.
 Ask the restaurant to telephone a taxi for you.
Spiked Drinks
 At clubs, watch your drink at all times. Spiking
drinks with powerful sleeping drugs (e.g., Rohypnol)
is on the increase.
 Feeling abnormally woozy?
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Tell female members of the staff you think you have been
drugged. Ask them to call the police. Really.
No one should be allowed to “help you” get home before the
police arrive or you lose consciousness.
If any man appears, insisting that he is there to help, loudly
insist that you do not know him and do not want his help.
Otherwise, you just look like yet another very drunk tourist.
Males can be victimized too
 Just because you are man doesn’t mean that it is safe
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to go out alone at night.
Follow the same precautions to avoid drinking too
much or appearing like an absent-minded tourist.
Watch your drinks; the drugs will knock you out too.
Don’t assume that pickpockets can’t get into tight
pants pockets. They are professionals, after all.
When it comes to sexual harassment, U.S. laws and
College policies do not discriminate – tell someone if
you are being sexually harassed.
Be a part of the solution
 Look out for each other.
 Speak up if something inappropriate is going on.
What are Italian attitudes about rape?
 Rape law in Italy underwent major revision in 1996,
when it finally became considered a crime against
the person.
 Punishments are still determined by the amount of
harm done to the victim - in the judge’s opinion.
 Courts are allowed to evaluate the victim’s character
and sexual history.
 Sentences can be reduced if the woman was not a
virgin or may have “assisted” the rapist.
A “blame culture” exists
 Talking about rape is taboo in the poorer south
where shame in being a victim is embedded in
tradition.
 2007 poll of young people by Amnesty International
– more than 25% said they thought the woman was
partially or totally responsible for being raped if she
was wearing sexy or revealing clothing.
 So…what are U.S. attitudes about rape?
Sexual Assault in the United States
 In the U.S. about 1 in 6 females are sexually
assaulted at some point during their lives; for males
it is about 1 in 33.
 The vast majority of perpetrators are males.
 However, most males do not commit these crimes
and represent a mostly un-tapped source for
prevention.
Who are the victims?
 15% of female victims are under age 12 (the majority
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of male victims are children)
12-34 are the highest risk years for females
Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the
general population to be victims of rape, attempted
rape, or sexual assault
Babies get raped; grandmothers get raped
No race or ethnicity is exempt from this trauma
No neighborhood is rape-free; the CDC declared
sexual assault an epidemic several years ago
Who are the perpetrators?
 Most of the time it is someone you know, at least
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casually
Rarely, women will commit sexual assaults; their
victims are usually children
Men assault other men to humiliate them in the
worst possible way
The vast majority of perpetrators are heterosexual
males
They are more often in their late teens or twenties
but some continue offending into later life
Are they crazy, or what?
 Generally not, but we do find that
they often
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Have low self-esteem
Harbor hostile attitudes toward women
Tend to be very conservative and moralistic
Have sex-negative attitudes about intimacy
Associate with peer groups that accept rape
May grow up feeling guilty about sex and
see sex and nudity as foul and shameful
Have access to willing sexual partners
Use alcohol or other substances to create
vulnerability in their victims
How about when a date just “goes badly?”
 Most men will accept a “no” if it is clearly
stated.
 Rapists ignore a “no” because they don’t
believe it … or …
 Rapists ignore a “no” because they don’t
care what the other person wants – they
seek to overpower, control, and humiliate.
 Only 1 in 20 men ever commit a sexual
assault. What can the other 19 do to
help reduce these crimes?
 Legal sex requires informed consent.
Sex vs. Sexual Assault
 Feelings and motives in both parties change dramatically as
behavior moves from consensual to non-consensual
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Yes!
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Happy, excited, eager, sexy, loving, horny, confident, joyful, hopeful
No!
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Victim – shocked, betrayed, scared, angry, violated, shameful, regretful
Rapist – angry, powerful, resentful, frustrated, dominant, self-righteous
 False police reports of rape are incredibly rare
 Nothing a woman (or a man or a child) does can force a
man to rape; it is always his choice…his crime
Rape is an under-reported crime
 By pointing the finger of blame at the victim we get to
live in comfortable denial
 Victim Blaming
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He would never do a thing like that; she’s just a whore
Nobody I know would ever do a thing like that; she’s a liar
What did she expect, dressing and acting like that?
Bad things only happen to bad people; the world is fair
Rape doesn’t happen here; I’m safe and my loved ones are safe
Justice is best found in healing and learning to
thrive again. Seek counseling.
Victims cannot always count on the legal system to
give them justice.
This 46% figure
is high.
Typically we see
far fewer sexual
assaults
reported to
police.
What to do if it happens to you
 Tell someone – do not suffer in silence
 Call your local rape crisis center – no-pressure help
 If you think you might be making a police report, do
not destroy evidence on your body or your clothes
 Seek counseling for as long as you need it; its never
to late to begin
www.rainn.org
Click on Get Help for their online
hotline or to find a service provider
in your area
Orange County’s Rape Crisis
Center hotline numbers
(714) 957 -2737
OR
(949) 831-9110
HTTP://CSPINC.ORG
CLICK ON VICTIM ASSISTANCE AND
THEN SEXUAL ASSAULT FOR
INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR SERVICES
Associazione Nazionale Telefono Rosa
 Address:
Viale Mazzini 73
00195 Roma
Telephone: +39 06 375 18261/62
Fax: +39 06 375 18289
Email: telefonorosa@libero.it
Website: http://www.telefonorosa.it (Italian language)
What to do if it happens to a friend
 Listen and believe them
 Let them know you aren’t judging them
 Avoid asking for explanations
 Accept silences – follow their lead
 Help them explore their options
 Encourage them to make their own decisions
– to take back their power
 Be patient – healing can take a long time
 Encourage them to get professional counseling
Prevention
 Communicate clearly
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Be clear – avoid mixed signals
Get consent for sex
 Avoid increasing your vulnerability
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Alcohol is the #1 “date rape drug”
Headphones
Lock up
 Learn self-defense
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Back Off!
 Listen to your intuition
 Watch out for others who appear vulnerable
 Speak up
 Summon help
Take care of yourself and one another
 So that you can have fun
on your study abroad
adventure!