Sexual harassment disproportionately affects girls. The AAUW report Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School empowers girls to understand that there are institutional biases against them because they are girls and that these biases make them more susceptible to harassment and the detrimental effects that flow from those experiences. But one area where girls fare slightly better than boys is in their willingness to report harassment. Of those surveyed for Crossing the Line, only 12 percent of girls who experienced sexual harassment reported it. But boys who experienced sexual harassment at school were even less likely to report it — just 5 percent did so.
That finding weighs heavily on me as I continue to hear horrific stories coming from Penn State, where prosecutors say an 11-year-old boy was molested (a form of sexual harassment and violence that is covered under Title IX) and several others were also sexually assaulted. He and the other alleged victims were then shamed by Penn State students, alumni, celebrities, and even their own peers, all because they had the courage to speak up. Unfortunately, that boy — whom the grand jury calls Victim One and is now a teenager — felt he had no choice but to leave school because of the continued victimization — and yes, continued sexual harassment — by his peers in the aftermath of reporting sexual abuse by a popular football coach.
In an open letter to this boy, Tyler Perry, a renowned celebrity and role model for thousands of young people, wrote eloquently about the courage of this young victim, who was the first to come forward. Perry also shared his own tragic story of abuse, which was made even more tragic by his inability to find help from anyone.
“You may have to go through with that trial, and you may feel all alone when you’re on that witness stand, but just know that there are millions of young boys and grown men who are standing with you — including me,” Perry wrote. “If every man who has ever been molested would speak up, you would see that we’re all around you. You may not know all of our faces and names, but my prayer is that you feel our strength holding you up. You will get through this; you’ve already endured the worst part at age 11. Now fight on, my young friend, fight on! We are all with you.”
AAUW works hard to translate these stories into data that can be used to help protect children in the future. Earlier this month, I met with Senate staff members who are pushing forward with two pieces of legislation: the Safe Schools Improvement Act (S. 506/H.R. 1648) and the Student Nondiscrimination Act (S. 555/H.R. 998). I hope you will put your rage into action and make sure your senators are supporting these bills that might make it just a little bit easier for victims of sexual harassment at schools to get the help they need.
AAUW Dialog 
@Fred. This post was specific to sexual harassment in an education setting. I think we can all agree that our children deserve the most protection possible from behavior which can interfere with their learning and cause severe emotional harm if left unchecked. “Sexual harassment in education defies simple definition. Legally, sexual harassment can be defined as unwanted sexual behavior that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to interfere with a student’s education. Yet, as discussed in [Crossing The Line http://bit.ly/umevAp%5D, even incidents that appear “minor,” such as sexual comments and jokes or being called gay or lesbian, may have a profound impact on the emotional well-being of some students. Feeling sick to one’s stomach or being unable to concentrate at school may not be sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive for legal action, but it can certainly affect the educational experience. Sexual harassment in middle and high schools can be a problem long before it reaches the level of legal action.” CTL, p. 8.
Statistics are meaningless as long as the definition of “sexual harassment” is so amorphous and inconsistently applied. For example (and this is just one of hundreds of examples), every man who heard a Lorena Bobbitt joke at work (these jokes were definitely sexual and definitely hostile) should qualify as a victim of sexual harassment. (That’s probably about 95% of male workers.)
I’ve often wondered how difficult it must be for those who have been sexually harassed or assaulted to share their story(ies). When you consider societal expectations for men to be truly “manly” or masculine, it must be even more difficult to say that they’ve been the victims of such abuse.
Yikes.
Great post. Thanks for sharing this boy’s story.
Great blog! Harassment knows no gender.
Sandy Camillo