Sexual harassment is a tough problem which should never be taken lightly. While it is true that every situation is unique, it is never a good thing when someone is made to feel violated sexually in any way.

Sexual harassment in the work environment can be a serious detriment to the comfort level and the security felt by employees. Generally speaking these days, there should be a work place policy that will govern what constitutes sexual harassment and how it should be dealt with.

Your private life is another issue all together, and sexual harassment can be much harder to pinpoint and handle in these cases at times. Sometimes, a frank conversation can alleviate the situation when someone doesn’t realize what they are doing, but often a victim of sexual harassment won’t feel comfortable enough to do this. However, calling sexual harassment out by its name to the perpetrator can often shock them into stopping.

Make sure to document anything and everything that you can when you are subjected to sexual harassment. Photograph or make copies of offensive material distributed in the workplace. It is also a good idea to keep a journal of instances of sexual harassment. Try to be specific about everything in your journal like dates and times of instances of harassment, along with specific remarks and other details of the encounters. Always remember to tell other people what is going on as well.

If things progress to an untenable point for you, it is time to get a lawyer. Documentation can be essential at this point so make sure you keep everything for this eventuality. You should be able to obtain a free consultation by seeking referrals through local or national women’s rights organizations. It is always better to be safe and consult a lawyer earlier rather than after something truly terrible happens.