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“We live in a world where sexual assault and harassment exist,” says Diane Roller, the University’s sexual harassment officer. “Women fear for their personal safety much more than men do. Our different perspectives are based on reality. In general, a woman is going to be more wary. In terms of sexual harassment, a woman who is harassed may believe it could go further. A man doesn’t feel the same physical threat.”
But do we know what “sexual harassment” means exactly? Do persistent sexual behaviours or repeated invitations to go out always constitute sexual harassment? Is it necessary to be against a sexual behaviour in order for it to constitute an act of sexual harassment?
The answers to these questions and others are on a new online training site on the prevention of sexual harassment. The only one of its kind in the country, the site is a collaboration between Roller’s office and the Centre for e-Learning. Although Roller’s 15 years of experience at the University allowed her to come up with the content, the centre has refined the presentation and called on actors and theatre students, among others, to make the videos, pose for photographs and deliver the narratives. Those narratives allow the visually impaired to more easily follow the training.
“I started to explore the concept of an online training site in 2002,” explains Roller. “At first I was looking for a way to reach the student population, a group that is difficult to connect with because it change so much. Then, I wanted to reach staff. Web reports showed that the mini-test that was already on the Sexual Harassment Office’s Web site was very successful, so I decided to explore this technology.”
Some services are already thinking of using it as a training tool to enlighten their members. “In the case of a respondent,” adds Roller, “the training could be used as a supplement to a meeting with me. It might be easier to retain the message if she follows the training in private, where she doesn’t feel judged.”
Users can complete the training or evaluate its content and print out a certificate, if they achieve a mark of 75 per cent or higher on the final test.
But the site is set up to be anonymous. In the spirit of confidentiality, which is the hallmark of the office, and to protect people who request its services, no information is recorded.
“When someone comes to see me, it does not automatically become a complaint,” Roller points out. “Often, that person simply wants to discuss possibilities and to think about a course of action. I never impose anything; I only advise. The individual assumes complete control over the situation. Coming to see me is already a courageous act. I always thank people who do this.”
New online training site on the prevention of sexual harassment
