This is SO not a fun topic to talk about. 

It's messy. And that's what we're all about here at The Messy Bun!

So, let's dive into this topic with our teens and learn all about sexual harassment - what it is, how to respond to it, and how to report it. ⁠
⁠
Making Caring Common, a project lead at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, conducted a national survey of 18- to 25-year-olds in which 87% of respondents reported they had been the victim of at least one form of sexual harassment. 

Yet, 76% of survey respondents reported that they never had a conversation with parents about how to avoid sexually harassing others or being harassed themselves.

"As parents, we need to do better. We need have specific conversations with our teens about what misogyny and sexual harassment mean, why they are so harmful, and how to combat them." (Alison Cashin and Richard Weissbourd)

• Definitions and Examples
  • Misogyny
  • Sexual Bullying
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Sexual Harassment vs. Flirting
  • Sexual Harassment vs. Sexual Assault
• How to respond
  • How parents should respond
  • How your daughter can respond if she is harassed
  • How your daughter can respond if she sees harassment
• How to report
  • Steps to take in reporting harassment
  • Resources given below if you need to take legal action

 

Resources:

Katie Hurley, LCSW,How to Talk to Teens about Sex and Sexual Harrasment,  https://www.psycom.net/talk-to-teens-about-sexual-harassment

Kids Health, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Bullying, https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/harassment.html 

Richard Weissbourd and Alison Cashin, Sexual Harassment Among Teens, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/10/16/sexual-harassment-among-teens-is-pervasive-heres-how-parents-can-help-change-it/ 

Richard Weissbourd with Trisha Ross Anderson, Alison Cashin, and Joe McIntyre, Making Caring Common, Harvard Grad School, https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/the-talk, 

Full Study (Making Caring Common from above): https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b7c56e255b02c683659fe43/t/5bd51a0324a69425bd079b59/1540692500558/mcc_the_talk_final.pdf

Lauren Holter, Bustle, Don't Conflate Flirting With Sexual Harassment — Women Know The Difference, https://www.bustle.com/p/flirting-sexual-harassment-are-two-entirely-different-things-women-know-that-do-men-6746759

What to Do if Your Child is Being Bullied and Resources, https://www.stompoutbullying.org/what-do-if-your-child-being-bullied-and-resources

Notice of Harassment Kit, http://www.documatica-forms.com/bullying.php

Jeremy V. Jones, Teens and Sexual Harassment, https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/teens-and-sexual-harassment/

Understanding Harassment - definitions, your rights, and how to report and take legal action, https://www.equalrights.org/issue/equality-in-schools-universities/sexual-harassment/ 

What to Do When Sexual Harassment Target Teenagers, https://www.eandblaw.com/employment-discrimination-blog/2019/09/12/sexual-harassment-targets-teenage-workers/ 

Reporting Resources, https://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/teen-sexual-harassment/resources.html