Believing women while remaining neutral: Conducting sexual harassment and sexual violence investigations in a post-#metoo world

▤ Summary

It’s an important one, given the negative experience that many women have had when trying to report sexual abuse, including low conviction rates for perpetrators and a feeling that their stories were not heard. The key for workplace investigators is to be open to believing that a complainant is telling you their experience as they understand and remember it, rather than starting from the position that you will take every piece of evidence that they provide as fact. For both parties, investigators should attempt to make the interview process as comfortable as possible while avoiding becoming biased (for example, try saying, “I can see that you’re feeling upset right now, can I get you a glass of water?” rather than, “I’m so sorry that we have to go through all these questions when you’ve already been through so much.”) 3. A person can truly believe the version of events that they are giving to an investigator, but can also be mistaken – for example, due to memory impairment caused by the passage of time or consumption of drugs or alcohol. Dr. Haskell explained that, when a person is experiencing a traumatic event, they might be unable to plan, strategize or organize an effective response due to the flooding of stress hormones and the loss of prefrontal cognitive abilities.

▦ Linked Companies

First Reference

$1M to $5M