Cases of sexual harassment can be traumatizing at multiple levels. Be it emotionally, physically, or mentally. It can drastically affect your morale and shake your sense of individuality. None of us imagine that we could be the victim of harassment at any point in time. But when it happens, it leaves most of us stunned, numb, and unable to deal with the situation. It leaves us with no sense of direction to go about the next step.
The main focus of this article is to help you orient yourself in such situations. Irrespective of how shattered or broken you might be, you ought to take certain steps to ensure nobody goes through what you have unfortunately gone through.
1) Speak Up
Reports by Statistics Canada state that one in five sexual assault cases go to court. This goes to show that quite a few victims are vocal about their assault and are willing to fight it out in court. No doubt this can be awfully stressful but doing this will ensure that justice is served and you might just end up preventing someone else from facing the same plight.
At times, speaking up might be challenging, especially if the accused is from your workplace. But most organizations have certain set rules to tackle cases of workplace harassment. You can also take legal help to communicate your case to the higher authorities in your organization.
2) Understand the Redressal Procedure for Harassment
If you have experienced workplace harassment, then you should ideally be looking up the set procedure your company takes to deal with claims of sexual harassment. In fact you should take note of the procedure and report the case accordingly. Sometime there are certain prescribed time limits for reporting such cases. Going through the redressal procedure will enlighten you on how to go about things.
if you were assaulted outside of your workplace, then you should consider looking up the laws that address such issues. Sexual assault is a punishable offence as per section C-46 of the Criminal Code.
3) Seek Legal Help
Most cases of harassment lead to emotional trauma and stress. At such times, you need someone who can fight for you. And who could be better than a lawyer from a reputed firm in Alberta? Legal experts are well-versed with the laws that govern cases of sexual harassment in Canada. Plus, with their experience and guidance you will be in a better position to advice you on the course of action you should be taking. They will also be able to help you with NGOs and medical help professionals who can help you cope with the situation better.
These are some of the steps that you should consider taking after a case of sexual harassment. If you wish to legal action, then reach out to our experts at the earliest.