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Sexual Integrity: Sexual Harassment & Abuse

A topic guide covering dating, relationships, premarital sex, sexual addictions, gender and sexual identity, and more.

Research & Reference

Concerns about Sexual Harassment

A bar chart showing that Americans are more concerned about men getting away with sexual harassment than men being fired prematurely

Amid Cuomo allegations, fast facts on views of workplace harassment | Pew Research Center

How We Can End Sexual Harassment at Work

Percentage by Gender

81% of women, 43% of men

Sexual Assault Statistics | National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)

Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime.

Perspectives

We Were the Least of These

Much of what is written about abuse and the Bible focuses on the ways Scripture is used to hurt rather than heal. This accessibly written book provides a much-needed perspective, illuminating the good news of healing and liberation that the Bible offers survivors of sexual abuse. As a theologian and survivor of abuse herself, Elaine Heath handles this sensitive topic with compassion and grace. She offers a close reading of several biblical passages that have proven to be profoundly healing for her and for other survivors. The book is illustrated with stories and insights from sexual abuse survivors who have experienced healing through the Bible in order to bring hope and encouragement to victims. It will be welcome reading for those who have suffered from abuse as well as for pastors, counselors, therapists, and others who minister to them. Each chapter ends with two sets of reflection questions and recommended activities--one set for survivors and another for those who journey with them.

Healing the Wounded Heart

First published in 1989, Dan Allender's The Wounded Heart has helped hundreds of thousands of people come to terms with sexual abuse in their past. Now, more than twenty-five years later, Allender has written a brand-new book on the subject that takes into account recent discoveries about the lasting physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual ramifications of sexual abuse. With great compassion Allender offers hope for victims of rape, date rape, incest, molestation, sexting, sexual bullying, unwanted advances, pornography, and more, exposing the raw wounds that are left behind and clearing the path toward wholeness and healing. Never minimizing victims' pain or offering pat spiritual answers that don't truly address the problem, he instead calls evil evil and lights the way to renewed joy. Counselors, pastors, and friends of those who have suffered sexual harm will find in this book the deep spiritual guidance they need to effectively minister to the sexually broken around them. Victims themselves will find here a sympathetic friend to walk alongside them on the road to healing.

Hope and Healing

One in four girls and one in five boys will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Equally alarming, sexual abuse most often happens at the hands of someone we know-not a stranger. But what can we as survivors do to find hope and healing? How can support people (friends, family, teachers, and church leaders) help their loved ones on their path to wholeness? While sexual abuse is not the fault of the victim, they seem to suffer the most negative consequences. In Hope and Healing: A Survivor's Faith-Based Perspective on Recovering from Sexual Abuse, survivor Wendy Jessen shares her story and healing insights alongside a gospel perspective to help other survivors navigate their healing journey while maintaining faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Survivors will not only learn to thrive, but also that they are not alone.

Nobody's Victim

Nobody's Victim is an unflinching look at a hidden world most people don't know exists--one of stalking, blackmail, and sexual violence, online and off--and the incredible story of how one lawyer, determined to fight back, turned her own hell into a revolution.    "We are all a moment away from having our life overtaken by somebody hell-bent on our destruction." That grim reality--gleaned from personal experience and twenty years of trauma work--is a fundamental principle of Carrie Goldberg's cutting-edge victims' rights law firm.     Riveting and an essential timely conversation-starter, Nobody's Victim invites readers to join Carrie on the front lines of the war against sexual violence and privacy violations as she fights for revenge porn and sextortion laws, uncovers major Title IX violations, and sues the hell out of tech companies, schools, and powerful sexual predators. Her battleground is the courtroom; her crusade is to transform clients from victims into warriors. In gripping detail, Carrie shares the diabolical ways her clients are attacked and how she, through her unique combination of advocacy, badass relentlessness, risk-taking, and client-empowerment, pursues justice for them all. There are stories about a woman whose ex-boyfriend made fake bomb threats in her name and caused a national panic; a fifteen-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted on school grounds and then suspended when she reported the attack; and a man whose ex-boyfriend used a dating app to send more than 1,200 men to ex's home and work for sex. With breathtaking honesty, Carrie also shares her own shattering story about why she began her work and the uphill battle of building a business. While her clients are a diverse group--from every gender, sexual orientation, age, class, race, religion, occupation, and background--the offenders are not. They are highly predictable. 

Hey, Shorty!

At every stage of education, sexual harassment is common and often considered a rite of passage for young people. It's not unusual for a girl to hear 'Alright beautiful' or 'Hey, shorty!' on a daily basis, as she walks down the hall in school or out in town, followed by a sexual innuendo, insult, come-on, or assault. Girls for Gender Equity, a nonprofit organisation based in New York, has developed a model for teens to teach one another about sexual harassment. Geared toward students, parents and teachers, this book is an excellent model for building awareness and creating change.

Sexual Harassment and Bullying

Despite headlines that label all harassment among youth as bullying, there is in fact a difference between sexual harassment and bullying. This book discusses the similarities and important differences between the two, offering firsthand accounts from victims and others involved in combating the activities that victimize students. It provides parents, youth advocates, scout leaders, and other concerned adults with practical steps to partner with schools to prevent and intervene on the behaviors to help keep kids safe. The book clearly identifies the steps to take to hold schools accountable when a student has been harassed or bullied, even when the school is not stopping the behavior. Providing examples throughout the work, Strauss helps readers become better acquainted with the various activities that constitute sexual harassment and bullying and what they can do to combat the problem

The Wounded Heart

For those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and those who love and care for them, The Wounded Heartoffers a tender, compassionate window into the psychological effects of abuse and the theological foundations for healing.Thirty years ago, with great courage and vision, Dan Allender brought Christians to the table to acknowledge, understand, and help victims heal from their experience of the evil of sexual abuse. His work continues to help victims and those who love them to honestly acknowledge their abuse, understand the unique challenge of repentance for victims of abuse, and learn to love boldly in defiance of their trauma. Ultimately Dan offers the bold assurance to sexual abuse victims that even they can find their way to joy and hope in the comforting embrace of a good God.The Wounded Hearthas sold over 400,000 copies and has been the first book family, friends, counselors, pastors, and victims have turned to in search of Christian answers to the calamity of sexual abuse. With a new introduction reflecting on the ongoing importance of the book, and a companion workbook for personal and group recovery, The Wounded Heartcontinues to offer an urgently needed word of grace in a world ravaged by sexual abuse.

For Love of Country:confronting rape and sexual harassment in the U.S. military

A compelling exploration of sexual victimization in the United States military! This incisive book offers a unique perspective on rape and sexual harassment in the United States military. Drawn from the experiences of military personnel and presented in their own words, For Love of Country: Confronting Rape and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military takes an honest and heartfelt look at a pervasive problem. Service veterans speak candidly about a breakdown of values and leadership failure which has perpetrated a culture of abuse. Male and female rape victims reflect on their efforts to serve their country with honor. Author Terri Spahr Nelson, a decorated United States Army veteran and psychotherapist specializing in sexual trauma recovery, has mixed a compelling chorus of hundreds of personal accounts into a single voice calling for reform. She presents emotional retellings from victims of rape and sexual harassment, with responses from military and congressional leaders. Ms. Nelson offers statistics released from the Pentagon about sexual assault reports, convictions, and the General Accounting Office, and current field research. For Love of Country: Confronting Rape and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military presents: personal accounts from survivors unique, inside perspectives from military personnel and veterans commentary from military and congressional leaders Pentagon statistics on sexual assault with conviction and sentencing rates findings and recommendations from the Department of Defense clinical information on issues facing military trauma survivors For Love of Country: Confronting Rape and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military serves as a one-of-a-kind resource for professionals, an educational must for military personnel, and a compelling eye-opener to anyone concerned with the preservation of integrity and honor in the United States armed services.

Internet Resources

The Power of Us: How We Stop Sexual Harassment