Ladies, wrap yourselves in newspapers before you leave your houses!

Women in Beijing are being told to avoid wearing short skirts and short shorts on public transportation if they want to avoid sexual harassment, you know, because it's their fault they're being sexually harassed. And if they choose to sit on the upper level of the bus, then they should "shelter their bodies with bags, magazines, and newspapers" to avoid someone taking inappropriate photos of them.

I guess we're really back to blaming the victim. And it's not like the Chinese officials aren't trying to stop sexual harassment of women. I mean, they would train public transportation workers how to stop the harassment, but it is "difficult to train public transportation workers to assist women in harassment prevention and response." Yeah, it's too hard...

Victim blaming is not isolated to China, of course. In fact, victim blaming is so bad in Scotland that there are PSAs to educate men. 

I'm hopeful because Scotland is taking the issue on, but frustrated because I can't believe that we have not figured this out yet.

Last month I had a speaker from Downeast HealthServices speak to my women's studies students regarding sexual assault in Maine. Her information was fascinating, shocking, scary, and enlightening. At the end she asked us, "So, what can you do to avoid rape?" and we said, "Carry a whistle, walk with friends if you're out after dark..." you know, all those things that victims should to to make ourselves safer. But then she shared this list with us - and a light came on for all of us:

If you have been a victim of sexual assault, there are organizations to help you. Click here for more information.

I'll take that job without "getting on the pole," thank you very much...

Something is amiss at the New York Parks Department's holiday parties. Mainly, the fact that seasonal female employees are awarded with permanent jobs or even cash if they agreed to pole dance and strip for everyone's entertainment. One man was even allegedly heard yelling, "If you want a job, get on the pole."

The Parks Department's supervisor, James Cafaro, and his supervisor, Angelo Figueroa, are being investigated. I can't help but make the connection to The Invisible War - in the sense that the victims are being harassed and assaulted by their supervisors, which makes it almost impossible to report and prosecute this despicable behavior. Fortunately, in this case, the union is supporting these women and they might just see some real action taken.

And this is not an isolated incident.

Louis Harris and Associates conducted a phone poll in 2008 and found that:

    * 31% of the female workers reported they had been harassed at work
    * 7% of the male workers reported they had been harassed at work
    * 62% of targets took no action
    * 100% of women reported the harasser was a man
    * 59% of men reported the harasser was a woman
    * 41% of men reported the harasser was another man

Think you're a victim of or witnessing sexual harassment at work? Click here for more information.

I did not want to watch this documentary. The Invisible War, a documentary on sexual assault in the military, has been sitting in my Netflix instant queue just waiting for me to decide it was the right time to view it. But when is the right time to watch a documentary on sexual assault? As it turns out, it’s NOW.

My women’s studies course does a “blog share” every Friday. At the beginning of the semester each student chose a feminist blog to follow. Every Friday we come together and share one interesting blog post with the whole class. We watch videos, view images, and share our thoughts. One of my students has been following the stories of two members of the armed forces, one an Air Force lieutenant colonel, and one a U.S. Army sergeant first class (both men work in sexual-assault prevention offices on their bases) who are being investigated for sexual assault. My students are angered by what they are learning and asked that we learn more about this issue.

So I knew I had to watch the documentary.

This is a film that everyone should see. It will leave you infuriated. This film follows the stories of women (and one man) who were raped while serving in the military. They share their stories - of the assault and of the aftermath - and each one is more horrifying than the next. One woman fights the VA for medical coverage for a broken jaw she sustained during her attack; one woman struggles with daily life because of the PTSD she now experiences. All of the victims struggle with relationships and jobs. And the military and our government does nothing but say, “We’re outraged. This must stop.” But the reality is, the system is set up to silence the victims of sexual assault in the military, and there is no movement being made to change this. The leaders can say, “We have zero tolerance for rape” all they want, but until some real changes are made, incidents of rape in the military are going to continue.

It’s time to write our representatives and demand that they make immediate changes to the way our soldiers must report rape (to their superiors, who are often the rapists) and how the military handles the victims’ cases (oftentimes they “lose” all the evidence).

It’s time to really support our troops.