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#MeToo has inspired victims to take action across many industries

The #MeToo movement inspired victims of sexual harassment to share their stories online. As more and more women said “me too” to instances of sexual harassment and assault, many decided it was time to take their case to the court.

Many instances of workplace sexual harassment within the entertainment industry became high profile as well-known celebrities faced accusations. But #MeToo has sparked litigation of sexual harassment claims across many other industries you may not have heard as much about.

EEOC claims

Data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission shows the filing of thousands of sexual harassment claims from industries of all kinds in the past few years. Between 2010 and 2017, workers filed 57,718 sexual harassment claims with the EEOC.

The third largest number of these cases came from employees in the manufacturing industry. Only the hospitality and retail industries had more such claims from workers. During that eight-year period, 6,764 claims came from employees in manufacturing companies, and of those, 83 percent were from women.

Types of sexual harassment

Sexual harassment in the workplace takes many forms. Harassment could involve problematic behavior such as unwanted physical contact, repeated lewd jokes, emails containing content of a sexual nature and more. These incidents do not need to be physical to warrant action.

Next steps

Sexual harassment can have a severe impact on an employee’s mental and physical health. If you or a co-worker have faced sexual harassment in the workplace, it’s important to make a complaint to your Human Resources department and document this report.

If your employer does not take action in investing and stopping these incidents or you experience retaliation from an employer or co-workers, your rights are being violated under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. To learn more about your options, discuss the details of your situation with a skilled employment law attorney.

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