Gelsey Hughes
ED2 -- Kamonyi District, Southern Province
Sexual harassment. It’s a term we’re all familiar with. We know it’s something that shouldn’t happen, but does. We know that when it happens it’s serious, not least because it’s often a precursor to sexual assault. We know we have a right to respond to it. But what is sexual harassment exactly? And what should we do about it when it happens to us?
Sexual harassment is defined as “unwelcome sexual advances,
especially by someone with authority towards a subordinate.” This could mean
any number of things, from personal questions of a sexual nature to direct
propositioning or unwanted touching. As
Peace Corps volunteers, we’re uniquely vulnerable to sexual harassment. We
stand out, we work alone, and we’re navigating a foreign culture where our idea
of “unwelcome sexual advances” might not match local standards of
inappropriateness. On top of that, we’re
struggling to be culturally sensitive, to adapt and integrate. In our struggle to be flexible and tolerant,
we can lose sight of our boundaries.
We at GAD want to help PCVs identify and respond to sexual
harassment. But before we can start
talking about best practices, we need to hear from you, the volunteers. Have you experienced sexual harassment? What happened, and how did you respond? You can submit your stories by emailing me at
gelseyh@gmail.com or by commenting on
this story. Help us support and empower
you!
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