Sexual harassment investigation cases can uncover inappropriate activity in the workplace, in schools and in other types of organizations. Private detectives handle a diversity of sexual harassment assignments and can help victims to secure the evidence they need to bring civil lawsuits and/or criminal charges against the perpetrator.
Harassment is defined as a chronic pattern of unwelcome and unrequited comments or contact of a sexual nature. Harassment may include continual propositioning, double entendre, innuendo, coercion, exposure to explicit images or video, threats or actual physical contact geared towards promoting a charged sexual environment.
Sexual intimidation, coercion and pressure can be a civil issue, often resulting in a private lawsuit being brought against the perpetrator by the victim or victims. However, in some cases, harassment can also be a criminal offense, especially when physical contact has occurred or when a threat is made that might constitute coercion.
This discussion focuses on the use of professional investigation services to document instances of sexual harassment in all its unfortunate forms. We will detail how private detectives are instrumental in bringing successful civil lawsuits and filing criminal charges against known sexual harassers.
Sexual Harassment Investigation at Work
The workplace is the most common environment for sexual predation and harassment to occur. Workplace harassment can be used to threaten, coerce cooperation or simply to torment victims through the use of sexually explicit language, images, behaviors and even physical contact.
Harassment in the workplace can be used to gain compliance towards unwanted sexual advances in return for benefits such as promotion, raises, favoritism or time off. Harassment can also be just as effectively used to punish, alienate or force an employee to quit a job.
Workplace sexual harassment is a complicated legal issue and should always be handled by a specialist in business practice investigations. Once hired, a professional detective can uncover, document and testify to what was committed against their client, allowing the victim to successfully pursue civil legal and/or criminal action against the guilty party.
Sexual Harassment Investigation in School
Sexual harassment is also a burden on many school attendees. Harassment can occur at any age, but is typically committed against older teenagers and college-aged students more than against younger children. Harassment can be perpetrated by fellow students, teachers or staff members in the learning facility and is known to have serious psychological consequences on the victim.
Harassment in school can be used to isolate the victim socially, to force them to comply with peer-pressure or to secure their cooperation towards sexual advances. When committed against minors, harassment is almost always a criminal offense that will result in severe charges being filed against the offender, especially when the perpetrator is a teacher or school faculty member.
While proving sexual harassment in a school environment can be more challenging in some instances, private investigators are experts in gathering the evidence needed to stop the victimization and punish the person(s) who are responsible for the cruel persecution.
Sexual Harassment Investigation Techniques and Services
Private eyes might utilize many tactics to document suspected or claimed instances of sexual misconduct in any environment. These practices might include any of the following common effective techniques:
Surveillance may allow the detective to witness the harassment firsthand, in real-time.
The use of hidden cameras and microphones can allow the investigator to listen-in and view harassment firsthand from a concealed location. Sound and images can be recorded for entrance into evidence during subsequent legal proceedings.
Witnesses can be interviewed and signed statements taken that can provide additional verification that harassment did indeed occur.
Investigators can arrange for victim interviewing by mental health professionals to document the psychological consequences of unwanted sexual attention and intimidation.
Once all the evidence has been collected, the victim can proceed forward with the filing of civil lawsuits or can contact police about any criminal actions that were involved during the harassment complaint. With all the evidence gathered by the professional investigator, most of these matters are open and shut cases that result in positive verdicts for the victim and stiff penalties for the harasser.