Sexual Harassment Should be condemned in Schools - Juliet 18

I noticed that my classmate was staring at me...

When I was in form two, I walked into my biology class on an ordinary school day and settled in, ready for the course. I noticed that my classmate was staring at me, and I tried to ignore him and focus on the lesson. However, it was very uncomfortable, and as soon as the bell rang to indicate the class was done, I quickly packed my books and started to leave, but Alex blocked my way by standing at the door.

He said hello to me as if he had not seen me the whole day and that he had been thinking about me a lot lately. I did not know what to say. I was just so uncomfortable and wanted to leave. I did not know how to respond, so I told him I had to go home. He ignored what I said and told me that he thought I was beautiful and wanted to kiss me!

Harassment, embarrassment and panic 

I was very embarrassed and scared by the whole experience. I had never been in such a situation before, so I did not know what to do. I tried to push past Alex, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I felt overpowered and helpless. "Don't be like that?" he said, telling me he knew I wanted him to. I completely panicked, and as he leaned forward to kiss me, I managed to push and get away from him.

After the incident, I tried to avoid Alex as much as possible, but this was hard because my school was small. He was always around me, still staring at me and making inappropriate comments. I did not know what to do about this situation but I knew I could not live like this. This affected my studies. I did not want to go to school and attend any of my classes because Alex was always there, making me feel uncomfortable and scared.

Seeking help

I gathered the courage to speak to my guidance counsellor Ms Johnson. I was nervous, but I shared my challenge, and the counsellor listened and took my concerns seriously. She told me it was brave to approach her and reassured me that I would get assistance.

Ms Johnson organized a meeting with Alex and his parents to address the situation. After the talks, Alex apologized for his behaviour, and it was agreed that he would be transferred to the other class since we had two streams per class. I was relieved to finally have some distance from Alex and the harassment I had been experiencing. 

It is not your fault.

After all this, I still felt like I was somehow to blame for what had happened. I even felt guilty about Alex's transfer to the other class. I shared my feelings with Ms Johnson, who reassured me that nothing that happened was my fault. "You didn't do anything wrong, Samantha," she said firmly. She reminded me that sexual harassment is never the victim's fault and told me that I was brave to speak up and ask for help and that I should be proud of myself.

Sexual harassment-common, but kept a secret.

Things got better as time passed, and my family and friends supported me by constantly checking how I was doing. Some friends opened up that they had gone through similar experiences but were too scared to seek help.

 I realized that sexual harassment was a common problem in school, and I am glad that because I came forward, other people were confident to come forward when they faced sexual harassment.