The steps to follow if someone is a victim of sexual assault or sexual harassment are to not feel guilty, report the act, identify the offender, seek help, share the experience and promote campaigns against sexual crimes.
Explanation:
It is considered sexual harassment (SH) when a person, the aggressor, expresses himself with words, signs or acts of sexual connotation that attempt against the physical and psychological integrity of another, the victim. Sexual assault (SA) is non-consensual physical contact, which involves contact with the genitals, kissing, fondling, or violation of the victim.
Both SA and SH attempt against the physical, psychological and emotional integrity of a person —apart from invading their personal space, violating their freedom— and in many cases the victim feels guilty and does not denounce the act they have suffered.
The necessary steps or measures that someone, victim of SA or SH should take:
Not feel guilty: each person is free and responsible for their actions, have their own personality and specific tastes. No one can feel guilt for being the way they are, and all thoughts of guilt must be eliminated in the case of SA or SH, since the guilty party is the one who uses vulnerability to carry out an incorrect act.Identify the offender: this is the only possible way to support a future report of an act of harassment or aggression. It must be possible to describe the physical appearance, manner of dress and expressions used by the aggressor.Report the act: this means not keeping silent about an act of harassment or assault that has been suffered. You should immediately alert as many people as possible to help you, and then go to the authorities to formalize a report that involves arrest and criminal charges.Asking for help: this implies seeking help from the authorities, legal advice, and medical and psychological attention. There are also support groups where victims can go to.Share the experience: both with other people and in the support groups, which contributes to diminish the burden produced by the act of SA or SH, besides helping other people to prevent and act adequately in acts of this nature.Promote campaigns against sexual crimes: which results in one of the ways to communicate to others that these acts occur, in addition to preventing offenders from acting in communities that are properly informed and alerted.
