If no one else sees me being harassed, there's nothing I can do because the harasser will just say I'm lying.It is important to speak up because the harasser may have targeted others, and all of the combined stories may establish credibility.
Unlike sexual harassment in the workplace, which is often a "he said/she said" dispute, sexual harassment in schools usually isn't a private event since schools are very public places with many bystanders, and passers-by.
Clearly, though, some interactions between students occur privately, students hold private conversations and may have contact with one another which is unobserved. In this instances, if two students interpret one event in different ways, the disagreement might result in one student accusing the other of "lying". That is no reason not to speak up - to tell someone whom you trust. It is also a good idea to write everything about the event that you can remember: where it took place, what time of day, what exactly happened and what was said. Write how you felt, too. These details can help with the investigation.
Working with an adult in the school, this might be an appropriate time to "write a letter to the harasser".
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Excerpted by permission from: Flirting or Hurting? A Teacher's Guide on Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment in Schools (grades 6 through 12) by Nan Stein and Lisa Sjostrom
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