By Cathy Harris, Author of "Workplace Survival Guide"

and "Discrimination 101 (Volume I & 2)"

March 3, 2015

As the mother of two daughters don't think I am hating on men in this article.  I actually prefer men versus women as friends especially after working for 27 years in a male-dominated industry, U.S. Customs Service (now called Customs and Border  Protection).  

We have come a long way from the women's liberation movement when women were fighting for their rights to be treated equally by everyone.  For years I could not even write these types of articles until I distanced myself from the workplace especially after working the latter part of my career in an abusive workplace environment where racism, sexism, and sexual harassment flourished.

Writing articles and books for me have always been healing and therapeutic so this is why I write.  Time does have a way of healing wounds.  I have been retired now since 2005, 10 years, so now I can use my knowledge and experiences to try to educate others on what to really expect in most workplaces in America today.

Unlike what most children who think Monsters are hiding under their beds or in their closets, Monsters are in plain view in many workplaces all over America.

In many smaller workplaces when CEOs treat employees like family, these employees turn into happy and productive employees which helps these companies become successful. 

Despite the fact that most workplaces should and must maintain a professional environment at all times, many CEOs, managers and supervisors have never gotten this memo.

Is Bill Cosby a Monster?  I know most of you have heard the accusations in the media against Bill Cosby and that he drugged and raped women who had inspirations of obtaining help with their careers from him.

It is my belief that 15 women or more will not seek the limelight and make these types of allegations, especially if they know that the 'statute of limitations' have passed and there is no financial gain for them. 

And these types of allegations would be extremely hard for women who are currently involved in successful relationships because most  spouses would probably not want this type of limelight.

But when women do come forward, it does give other women courage to stand up and come forward also.  Many people think because at one time Bill Cosby was thinking about opening his own studio, which is a rarity for black people, this is why he is being targeted and attacked in this manner. 

For decades, Bill Cosby and the Cosby Family Show were referred to as one of the shows that would go down in history as a 'clean family  show' but because of the allegations, re-runs and other opportunities for him to do work and make money have been denied.

I am not saying that all of these allegations against him can't be false because we all know that many people in positions of power have carried out vendettas against others. 

Everyone has secrets and even at 78 years old, if Cosby is guilty, then he must learn from his mistakes and let others use this as a 'teaching moment' so they will know to take more precautions on how they interact and treat others -- especially women.

Most people commented on why did it take so long for these women to come forward?  For those of you who never went through this type of sexual intimidation or abuse, you just can't imagine what it does to your mental well-being!  

Any type of discrimination especially race or sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexism, sexual intimidation or abuse, just makes you want to crawl in a hole and turn out the lights - I know - because I have been there.

I was the first woman to file a sexual harassment complaint against my boss at the Atlanta International Airport in 1996.  Not only was I the first woman but I was a black woman filing a complaint against a white man which was definitely unheard of in many workplaces -- especially in a workplace where everyone walked around wearing weapons.

This man was not only the top ranking supervisor in my workplace, but he had the longest longevity on the job which meant, he had the power to make or break many people's careers -- including mine.  However, he had a reputation from other places he had worked so I was warned before leaving Miami and transferring to Atlanta, that I would be working with one of the biggest 'sexual predators' in U.S. Customs.

While the term 'sexual predator' is sometimes used to describe anybody who obtains sexual contact via less-than-honest means. 

In the broad sense of the word, sexual predators are people who commit sexual crimes.

The term is used to refer to those who have a history of committing sexual crimes, the term is sometimes confusing to those outside law enforcement.  The term "predator," however, usually indicates a repeat offender who enjoys the feeling of hunting down his prey. 

Many sexual predators attack only a particular type of victim, such as children of a certain age, sex or race.  Sexual predators are usually friendly, self-assured individuals who target their victims carefully, rather than choosing at random.
 

Many people asked me how did I survive?  For me it was like David going up against Goliath but after getting this warning early on about this man being a sexual predator, I prepared myself by taking notes so later on when I filed a Sexual Harassment Complaint, 10 Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints, and a Whistleblower Complaint - my case was well-documented.

The federal government especially federal law enforcement (U.S. Customs, Immigration, DHS, ATF, DEA, Secret Service, IRS, CIA, FBI, etc. or any agency that carry a weapon) has one of the most corrupt workplaces in America. 

Corporate America can't even come close to what really happens in the federal government.  In Corporate America white men might put up nooses in the workplace or call black people a 'Nigger' but in the federal government not only will these men threaten you by putting their weapons between your eyes or shoot a gun over your head, many women (both black and white) had to use the 'buddy system' to keep from being raped right there on the job in broad daylight.

Many single women in the federal government had to barricade their doors at their homes because not only would this abuse take place on the job but many times, women were followed and stalked off the job by men in federal workplaces. 

They would even go as far as to vandalize vehicles and work areas by scratching cars and flattening tires, throw away family pictures, put pins and needles in chairs, run women off the road, follow them to stores, sit outside their homes in cars and even threaten their kids especially single mothers and women who chose to file a workplace discrimination complaint, an Equal Employment Opportunity complaint, which was their right as employees in the workplace.

In the federal government, especially federal law enforcement many times it was Internal Affairs (IA) agents conducting this type of illegal stalking even though these agents worked in the offices that was suppose to investigate these complaints.

I was stalked in the workplace by this supervisor that I eventually had to file sexual harassment charges against.  When I left the Customs area at the Atlanta airport for lunch or dinner, I would see this supervisor peeping from around corners at me or standing outside of restrooms doors waiting for me.  

Sometimes he would be only 10 to 20 feet behind me stalking me especially when I was on duty.  He would even make it a point to come up to me and make comments such as "I like women who are soft and pretty -- especially women who wear makeup."

However, he never stalked me outside the job or came to my home because most of the time I would wear my uniform to and from work so most of the time I had my weapon (gun) with me and I was an expert shot which I learned in the military.  So he knew how far he could go with me.

He was in charge of making out the daily schedules at work for different positions on the job so he would usually put me in a position where I could not wear my weapon just so he could stalk or harass me.

Many people will ask the question "Well why don't women and other employees just go to the police or seek out legal help." Again -- because of the relationships that the police build with these federal law enforcement officers and others in positions of authority, there is no way these employees would be believable and most employees don't have the funds to obtain legal help.

We don't have to go far to look at alarming statistics involving women in workplaces.  Let's look at the military for example.  In 2013, according to military and civilian statistics, over 40% of female veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan reported suffering psychological trauma from sexual assaults (rapes) or harassment.  

Four out of ten women have been raped.  So a female solider is more likely to be attacked by a fellow soldier than killed by military fire.

In 1991 over 200,000 female soldiers had reported being raped and today that figure is 500,000 (half a million).  Over 80% of sexual assaults are never reported so those figures are much higher.

The military is a rich environment for sexual predators.  Sex offenders are hunters.  They study the environment and 15% of men who rape women in the military -- raped women (and men) before the military. 

In 2013, there were hearings held on Capitol Hill to see if they would take the punishment for military men who rape female soldiers out of the military court to civilian courts.

The final decision was to keep the punishment "in-house" through the military chain-of-command which means the murders, rapes and other abuses of female soldiers will continue to be covered up and male soldiers will continue to go unpunished.

Everyone should make it a point to watch the documentary "Invisible War" and "The LaVena Johnson Story" -- "The Silent Truth" at www.ProtectOurDefenders.com.  Not only are women in the military being raped but they are being killed at the hands of fellow soldiers in order to cover up these rapes.

Keep in mind that the federal government workplace, like the military, has a partying and drinking culture and former soldiers/veterans are given priority in hiring for these federal government jobs.  So until these issues are addressed in the military, we can forget about changing the culture of the federal government workplace. 

Many of these federal employees are veterans especially military police or former police officers.  The rest was hired due to nepotism, cronyism and favoritism. 

Right now the corruption in the federal government is so entrenched with "generations upon generations" -- where nepotism, cronyism and favoritism has taken over the federal workplace. 

Don't think your elected officials in Washington, DC is going to be able to stop it especially with DC being GROUND ZERO for federal abuse where offices such as the headquarters for EEOC.gov is polluted with EEOC complainants.

There is a "War Against Women" in this country and there has been for quite sometime.  Don't think this type of sexual intimidation and abuse just takes place in the federal government or military but in many workplaces including Corporate America, I have been told by many young women, especially African American women, that when they are hired on jobs, their male managers, supervisors or just other men who have more seniority than them (both married and single) - would pull them aside and tell them during their first few days of employment that sexual favors would be expected if they are to remain on the job. 

When many women (including married women) are hired in many workplaces, they sleep with managers, supervisors and fellow co-workers with the type of mentality "I will just go along - to get along" which I think is absolutely absurd!  I witnessed this firsthand on many occasions in my careers in the military and federal government.

This is also another reason why sexual diseases are spread throughout this land because of workplace sexual intimidation and abuse and the fact that many women don't feel they have a choice when hired in certain jobs.

Women who undergo sexual abuse in the workplace many times might be the breadwinners and sometimes the only breadwinner in their families.  So the only option these women have besides sleeping with these men is to leave these workplaces in order to hang onto any type of sanity.  But many times leaving these workplaces will offer fewer opportunities to provide for their families. 

Other Alarming Workplace Statistics:

- Over 90% of women will experience some form of "sexual harassment" in the workplace but only 5% will file claims of harassment.

- Most sexual harassment takes place between a man in a superior position and a woman in an inferior position.

- The rate of sexual harassment has remained relatively stable over the years; it has not diminished with more publicity and education.

- Women are nine times more likely to quit a job because of sexual harassment than are men.

- Women are five times more likely to transfer from a job because of sexual harassment than men.

- Women are three times more likely to lose a job because of sexual harassment than are men.

- Women who complain are often not believed and are sometimes punished. More than half of the women who call job-problem hotlines -- quit their jobs or were fired as a result of sexual harassment.

- Most women cannot afford to quit their job because of sexual harassment. They just put up with it.

When women stand up and create a path for others to follow in the workplace, it's important for other women to follow it.  We can no longer make the statement that "Men Will Be Men" but what we should be saying is "Men Can Be Monsters in the Workplace!"

 

We must go further to expose workplace atrocities especially against women and we must take control of our own lives by choosing careers where we have all the power - like in our own businesses.

Cathy Harris is an Advice Columnist at DearCathy.com, an Empowerment and Motivational Speaker and the author of over 20 non-fiction books including "Workplace Survival Guide: How To Fight Discrimination, Whistleblowing and the Workers' Compensation System" and "Discrimination 101: The Complete Guide To Recognizing and Surviving Discrimination in the Workplace (Volume I and Volume 2) and can be contacted through her empowerment company, Angels Press, P.O. Box 19282, Austin, TX 78760, http://www.angelspress.com [email protected].  She is available for lectures, seminars and workshops at http://www.CathyHarrisSpeaks.com.

Campaign To Stop Women from Enlisting in the Military

Cathy Harris, U.S. Army, being promoted to E-3, 

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland

New Book Coming Soon by Cathy Harris 

"We Were Soldiers - and Females"

Just some of the ways females are violated 

in the military - U.S. Army:

• Men drill sergeants would place their feet on the rear of women soldiers when they did push-ups.
• When female soldiers went on military training exercises and stayed in tents, drill sergeants would go from tent to tent and have sex with many of the female soldiers.
• During alerts where we had to be dressed in 3 to 5 minutes and be in formation, Army male officers would burst into women's areas and rooms to watch them dress.
• Women soldiers were forced to walk on, stomp on and injure fellow female soldiers when they fell down during a march or exercise.
• Female soldiers were touched inappropriately by male doctors when they were given OB exams without a nurse being present.