The news that your teenage daughter has found herself a job will come as music to your ears. It will reduce her financial dependency on you and provide valuable experience and skills for the future.
Yet it might not all be good news. While you may secretly grin when your girl returns home complaining about how tiring or challenging work is, you will not welcome the news that someone is sexually harassing her.
Sexual harassment of young female workers is common for several reasons:
They are often in customer-facing roles such as waitressing, where harassment is widespread
Few, if any, waitresses have not experienced sexual harassment. Some customers believe that they can treat a waitress inappropriately because they leave a tip. Bosses are sometimes too worried about upsetting customers to do anything about it. Or they, too, think waitresses are sexual objects.
Their youth makes them attractive to many people
While sexual harassment can happen to anyone, your daughter is more likely to or inappropriate comments or touching than your gran. Many people find girls of this age attractive or assume they are more likely to be available than someone older.
Their lack of life experience makes it less likely they know how to handle it
While some teenage girls do have the confidence to call a customer out for harassment, most do not. Harassers know this.
While the world of employment is not easy, workplace sexual harassment is not one of the challenges your daughter should have to face. Getting legal help to assist her can deal with issues at her current employment and show her she has options if it ever happens in future workplaces.