The Wash Rag Issue 1.1 Spring/summer 1992 CENTER FOR WOMEN HOLDS SEMINARS In reporting on the seminars held by The Sioux Falls College Center for Women at Zandbroz Variety in Sioux Falls during February, the key word was "information". The first session featured the Sioux Falls Human Relations Commission Director and counselors of both victims and perpetrators of harassment. The second was led by Citibank of SouthúDakota's sexual harassment counselor. The last brought back the Sioux Falls Human Relations Commission Director, and in addition was addressed by Sioux Falls lawyer Lois Rose, who specializes in sexual harassment suits. Leaving Lois Rose until last was a classic case of leaving the best until last. This is a sampling of her presentation: Ð 'Findent1 Ð  The statute of limitations for sexual harassment complaints is just six months. If you plan to complain, complain early.  Keep a diary of events associated with the harassment. This can be used to refresh your memory at the time of any legal action, and courts tend to favor testimony when it comes from a diary made at the time of the incident.  Complain to your manager, and if he does not respond, complain to his superior, etc. Keep complaining until you get results.  Two types of harassment:  Ð %F Ð  Quid Quo Pro -- if you sleep with me, I will get you a raise, etc.  Hostile work environment -- pin up posters, dirty jokes. This is often an "in the eye of the beholder" type of issue.  Ð 'Findent1 Ð Businesses should have a written policy on Sexual Harassment. Employers should advise employees as to procedures, and should train supervisors to deal with sexual harassment complaints.  . even-2.colÐ È0È   Ð)+FF Ð Retaliation Complaint -- this is when the harasser, for example, fires the complaining employee -- must be filed immediately, È0 ÈúÇÇwiwithin thirty to ninety days. You must go to an administrative agency for permission to sue before going to court. There is a big back log, so expect to hurry up and wait.  Damages are limited to actual loss. There can be no damages for emotional damage. Ð&&HF Ð  Conclusions:  Ð)+FFindent2 Ð The statute of limitations needs to be changed to seven years like it is for almost everything else.  Damages should include punitive damages for the stress on the employee and the employee's family.   The limit on damages needs to be taken off. If the harasser was a drunk and injured the victim in an accident, there would be no limit. This is an unfair law made by legislators with more empathy for the perpetrator than for the victim.  Ð&)JFeven-2.colÐ The only complaint I had on this series of seminars was that I seriously doubt that any of the speakers in the three sessions had ever been a victim of severe sexual harassment. This may not even be a criticism against the Center for Women, but it seems sad that the only people without a voice at the seminars were the victims. Rather than being a statement on the Center for Women, it seems to me to be more of a statement on our society. People working dispensing food stamps have rarely gotten them themselves, and those dispensing child welfare payments have never had to get them themselves, etc. A woman at WASH's first meeting even stated that she felt that the group should not be run by a victim of sexual harassment. Unless one has a brain of solid rock, one must ask why this is so. It is simply this: You cannot solve any problem unless you understand it. You cannot fully understand sexual harassment unless you have experienced it. I reached this conclusion long ago, and this idea was reinforced by the only other victim of sexual harassment at that meeting.  Ð)F Ð The "powers that be" do not want women to solve this problem. The woman who made this suggestion probably does not realize this and was just parroting some male propaganda. If that was not the case, she knows her husband has perpetrated a great deal of misery sexually harassing women and does not want it to become common knowledge through the narratives WASH is collecting. The director of Sioux Falls Human Rights Commission even admitted that the rate of sexual harassment complaints is going up, not down. This indicates to me that whatever the experts are doing is not working. This is not his fault, nor the fault of the counselors or lawyer. This is the fault of the system. The real tragedy of this issue is the silence of the victims. In almost a year of soliciting for sexual harassment narratives, only one woman, who was sarcastically compared to Anita Hill by one of those who is charged with helping victims of sexual harassment, has responded. I told her that she should take this as a compliment. The truth is that the perpetrators of sexual harassment depend on the silence of their victims much as the perpetrators of the sexual molestation of children depend on their silence. They both depend on terrorism to meet their goals. There is only one solution: Women must begin to speak out and become active in uncovering the means that men use to manipulate and silence their victims. Not to do so is to sentence their daughters, granddaughters, sisters and female friends to the same treatment. The spectre of Anita Hill, an intelligent, well educated, articulate, and respected woman being given the "old boy" shrug has burned its image into our hearts, and we must not forget it. Rather than feeling that "if they won't listen to her, they won't listen to me," we should feel that "if she can verbalize her experiences, so can I."  Ð%F Ð ******************************************** Ð)F Ð  ÂTHE WASH RAGÀ will be published approx- imately bimonthly by Tesseract Publications. To subscribe, send $10.00 to Tesseract Publications, 3001 W. 57th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57106-2652. Ð%Rright1 Ð Copyright 1992 Helen Forelle FIRST SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT RECEIVED Congratulations to Theresa Huck of Clark, South Dakota for submitting the first narrative of her sexual harassment experience. It details her experience at a Clark manufacturing company. It has been fascinating for me to read her narrative, because I found a number of correlations to my own sexual harassment experiences:  Ð)+FFindent2 Ð The victim had pets killed and mutilated following the incident.  The victim's children were exposed to retaliation.  The perpetrator tried to get the victim to compete with another woman for his sexual favors, and when this failed, he trumped up false charges and fired her.  The victim was a single parent.  The victim was at the time financially dependent on the job and has been unable to replace it. If you would like to take part in this study, send a SASE to "Study", 3001 W. 57th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57106-2652. All narratives are kept confidential. WASHDAY This is your chance to help clean up the system! Letters concerning this issue will be printed. If you want your name withheld, that can be done, but we cannot print unsigned material. Be sure to include your address and telephone number so we can confirm the letter. Please don't slander any person or company. The situation and results can be of almost as much importance as specifics. Save the nitty gritty details for your confidential narrative. SUPPORT GROUP TO BE STARTED IN SIOUX FALLS Anyone interested should call 361-6942. In addition to providing support for victims, working to empeach Clarence Thomas could be therapeutic!