Title IX and Sexual Harassment
What is Harassment?
Harassment is any behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. This can include:
- Jokes that target you or make you feel uncomfortable (Such as jokes that are sexual or make fun of someone's race, etc)
- Calling someone names or slurs to hurt them and make them feel unsafe;
- Touching someone without their consent (consent means giving someone permission to touch you!)
If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe at school, work, in the community or in your relationship, tell someone. You deserve to be safe and you’re not alone.
If I or someone I know have experienced harassment, who do I tell?
If you feel comfortable you should tell a Trusted Adult in your life. A trusted adult is an adult who listens to you and can keep you safe. Trusted Adults might be:
- Parents or a friend's parent
- Teachers or School counselors
- Coaches or Youth Group Leaders
- Trusted Family Members
- Community Helplines: call 703-237-0881 (also available 24/7) or chat
If It Happened at School
For the school to respond and investigate the harassment you can speak to any administrator at your school to file a Title IX complaint. While you can speak to counselors or other trusted adults in the school, if you want action to be taken quickly, it is best to speak with the Title IX Coordinator or another administrator. It’s also helpful to use phrases such as “I’d like to file a Title IX report,” or “I’d like to report a claim/complaint of sexual harassment, etc.” to ensure that administrators recognize that your claim may fall under Title IX. If it happened at school, the school is required to respond under Title IX. Learn more about Title IX here.(PDF, 158KB)
If It Happened at Work
For your employer to respond and investigate the harassment you should speak to your supervisor or the person in charge of Human Resources (HR). If that person is the person who harassed you, then we encourage you to speak with their supervisor.
If It Happened at Home
You deserve to be safe in your family and in your dating relationships. If you have questions about any violence you are experiencing at home- from parents or a dating partner, please call the Doorways hotline at 703-237-0881.
No Matter Where It Happened
If you are being harassed, you can also consider reporting it to police. You can reach out to police by either calling 9-1-1 or the non-emergency phone number at 703-558-2222.
You can also seek a protective order. A protective order is a court order that outlines who and how people can interact when one person is harassing the other. You can learn more about protective orders by calling the Court Intake office at 703-228-4500 or the Doorways Court Advocacy program at 703-228-3749.
If you need support reporting, want to talk through how to tell a trusted adult or have questions about what reporting could look like you can either call the Doorways 24/7 hotline at 703-237-0881, or call ECDC at 512-537-5566 or email Tsoule@ecdcus.org.
If you’ve experienced harassment, there is support. You are not alone.
Sexual Harassment: If you are not sure what happened, who can help or what your options are, you can call the Doorways’ 24-hour hotline for support at 703-237-0881. The hotline can be confidential, and you only have to share with them what you feel comfortable sharing. Learn more at www.DoorwaysVA.org.
You can also chat online with advocates 24/7 at RAINN here.
Gender-Based Harassment: You deserve a welcoming, loving world. And so, do the people you care about. At The Trevor Project you can reach out to a counselor if you’re struggling, find answers and information, and get the tools you need to help someone else: Call 866-488-7386, text 678-678 or chat at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Bulling/Harassment: No one deserves to be bullied and/or feel unsafe at school. If you have questions about bullying or need support, you can call ECDC at 512-537-5566 or email Tsoule@ecdcus.org.