Have you been victimized by online sexual harassment?

With the rise of computers, the Internet and smartphones, online sexual harassment is becoming more and more common by the year. This is a kind of sexual harassment that doesn’t happen in-person. Instead, it happens between two people via Internet communication channels like social media and email. Let’s look at a few important facts pertaining to this insidious and common form of abuse.

Online sexual harassment takes two forms: (1) offensive or unwanted materials or other messages sent to the victim by the harasser and (2) information posted regarding the victim but not sent directly to the victim.

In the first form of this sexually harassing behavior, online sexual harassment can involve the sending of pornographic images and videos, or sexually explicit messages, or other offensive materials to the victim. It could also involve repeated harassment to go on dates or spend time with the abuser. These requests could turn into quid quo pro demands and other untoward offers. Alternatively, an abuser might download or print sexually explicit material from the Internet and purposefully cause other people to see him or her viewing it, or share it with others at the workplace.

In the other form of online sexual harassment, the behavior could include the posting of sexually explicit images, harassing stories, embarrassing anecdotes and other information pertaining to an individual via a mass email or social media website.

Have you been victimized by online sexual harassment? You don’t have to take the abuse on the chin. You can assert your legal rights in court, make the abuse stop and seek financial compensation for your injuries. The more you know about your employment right to a workplace free of this kind of abuse, the better able you will be to defend yourself in this regard.