We had two lectures last Monday, October 28, so I will be writing a separate post for each. This is the second one.
The second lecture was by Ms. Remedios P. Mondiguing, PhD, about Anti-Sexual Harassment Training. She talked about the myths of sexual harassment and what actually constitutes sexual harassment, the who (persons liable), the where (what falls under UP jurisdiction), the classifications of offenses, and the corrective measures for the sexual harassers.
First of all, I am very happy that this subject is taken seriously. I often imagined that, unless the case was really, really serious (such as rape), that it would be quickly dismissed, not seen as something that really should even be batted an eye to. But I’m happy that there is a recognition of complexity of the issue. With technology, the mode of sexual harassment has also evolved along with it, and with the current social issues and awareness (or unawareness) that comes with the evolution of society, there also comes more things to be exploited.
I don’t think there exists a woman in this world that has never gone through sexual harassment of any kind. Some do get it worse than others — in no way their fault. Awareness may help; punishment may help. But I honestly have no idea what will stop this harassment altogether. The world is too disorganized, and every person has their own arbitrary moralities. But initiatives like this give me hope.
The whistles, the leery looks, the discreet touch — I hope one day it all just stops.