Responding to Victims

What do you do if someone confides in you that they have been a victim of sexual harassment? How you respond in these types of situations can be critical. View the following Ted talk for helpful information on how to respond to victims who confide in you:

Here are other tips to follow if/when someone confides any type of sexual trauma or abuse they’ve experienced:

• Let the individual know that you care for and support them
• Listen without judgment
• Don’t suggest that the victim was at fault for decisions she or he made
• Do not press for details of the incident, just listen carefully to the information the individual chooses to share
• Make sure that any feelings of anger or helplessness that you yourself may be feeling don’t get conveyed as discontentment toward the victim
• Be patient and remember that there is no timetable to recover from trauma
• Remember that there are a variety of ways victims may react – there is no right or wrong way to manage trauma
• Encourage the victim to get support and help them connect to professional resources
• if you are responsible employee of Ensign College, explain that you have an obligation to report any known instance of sexual harassment in an Ensign College program or activity to the Title IX Coordinator, then report the incident (see Sexual Harassment Policy )
• If you are not are a responsible employee, encourage the individual to report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure they can get the support needed