Judge's response to sexual harassment lawsuit shows Louisiana practice isn't changing • Louisiana Illuminator

More than one in three US women has experienced sexual harassment in the workplaceThese assaults range from inappropriate comments or advances to sexual assault or even physical assault.

Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement in 2017, studies have shown Improving public awareness this topic and significant Expansion of legislation at federal and state level to prevent and combat his appearance.

Since 2018 Louisiana has passed a series of protections against sexual harassment. Government agencies are now required to maintain sexual harassment policies that include a clear prohibition on retaliation and an effective and timely complaint and grievance process, require sexual harassment training for all public employees and elected officials, and track and publish the number of sexual harassment complaints and resulting actions.

But a recent court case suggests that the laws will not change practice.

A recent trial for first-degree rape in Orleans Parish Criminal Court found that a juror openly sexually harassed a member of the prosecutionWhen Judge Ben Willard was informed of the concern by prosecutors, he asked the harassed person to leave the courtroom because she a “distraction”, thereby denying her the right to do her job.

The subtext is that her appearance provoked the jurors' inappropriate conduct, justifying her dismissal. Unfortunately, this approach reinforces victim blaming of sexual assault, which is particularly problematic in the context of a rape trial.

Furthermore, this approach denies women the opportunities they deserve to work and build their experience and expertise in complex work environments. We know that young women rather experience These types of workplace harassment and solutions that separate them from these environments can lead to unequal opportunities in the workplace and the continued gender pay gap.

This approach is inconsistent with the training of government employees on sexual harassment.

News reports show that if the district attorney challenged Willard's decisionthe judge attempted to remove the lead prosecutor, her co-counsel, and a case manager. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it was female attorneys who brought the sexual harassment of a woman to the judge's attention, and it was women who were asked to leave the courtroom.

If we cannot expect our courts to effectively identify and deal with sexual harassment in their professional context, how can we trust them to effectively hear cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault?

Sexual harassment laws are there to protect us, but we must also enforce those laws. We must get our judges and lawyers to understand sexual harassment and assault, to know and follow the laws designed to prevent those assaults, and to listen to women—and certainly not punish them—when they say those assaults have occurred.

Our state has made important progress in combating sexual harassment in the workplace, which costs our state both employee productivity and taxpayer dollars in compensation, in addition to personal economic and mental health costs be experienced by those affected.

Now we must ensure that these laws are implemented, including ensuring training and accountability structures.

This commentary is the personal opinion of Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute, and does not reflect the position of the Newcomb Institute or Tulane University.