美国国家公共电台 NPR Victims Of Sexual Harassment Speak Up, But Legal Fears Can Inhibit Them

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

The experience of reporting sexual harassment¹ has changed radically² over the past few weeks. First, film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused by numerous women of misconduct and abuse. A series of other public allegations then toppled some powerful figures across many industries, and that list includes NPR's top editor, who was fired last week amid allegations of sexual harassment.

As NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports, many victims find themselves holding a very loud microphone right now. And we should warn you that a minute and a half into this report, there is some graphic³ language.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE⁴: Until recently, Web developer Eden Rohatensky dealt with workplace sexual harassment and assault alone.

EDEN ROHATENSKY: I didn't know what would happen to me if I did speak up. I just - there was no way for me to know. The more times that it happened and there wasn't consequences, the more scared I became of speaking up.

NOGUCHI: Then, a few weeks ago, Rohatensky posted an essay on the website Medium. Her former employer, Vox Media, identified one of the accused as editorial director Lockhart Steele, who was fired.

ROHATENSKY: I'm glad that it did happen and that it's making an impact and it's helping⁵ other people. I don't regret that. But it was surprising. It was very strange to have this type of closure in front of the world.

NOGUCHI: As more victims break their silence and discuss their allegations publicly, the power dynamic is shifting. Going public is a way of seeking redress⁶ by victims who, for whatever reason, lack faith in the normal institutional channels. And doing so has the effect of rapidly shifting the blame and shame to those who stand accused.

JENNIFER LAWLESS: I don't think of it as public shaming.

NOGUCHI: Jennifer Lawless is director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University.

LAWLESS: I think of it as women calling out the men who behaved inappropriately and illegally.

NOGUCHI: For Lawless, this is a long-awaited moment. She recalls Anita Hill's famous testimony⁷ decades ago alleging⁸ sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas during his Supreme⁹ Court confirmation¹⁰.

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ANITA HILL: He spoke¹¹ about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals.

NOGUCHI: Hill's testimony was a big public moment, but it didn't change much.

LAWLESS: It was easy for that to sort of die down and fade away because, in 1991 and in 1992, we didn't have this instantaneous way of transmitting information.

NOGUCHI: Around that same time, in the early 1990s, Jaclyn Friedman was sexually assaulted as a college student. For her, going public meant etching her rapist's name on a list of men to avoid on a stall in the women's bathroom in hopes of warning others.

JACLYN FRIEDMAN: It felt powerful. It felt like it was a thing I could do and that maybe I was going to keep somebody safe. Right? It felt like some tiny piece of power.

NOGUCHI: She says the outspoken¹² victims of today are extending that whisper network to a wider circle. After the Weinstein allegations surfaced, a Google document listing names and allegations against media executives and others started making the rounds. Friedman, now an author and women's activist¹³, applauds that, but she says she herself has yet to name her perpetrators online.

FRIEDMAN: I absolutely think it would feel empowering. It would also feel terrifying. The reason I don't do it is because I expect if I named either of them, I would be sued.

NOGUCHI: And there are legal obstacles to making public accusations¹⁴. Sexual misconduct is often hard to prove. People making accusations can be sued for libel, and so can those who repeat false allegations. Take Beth, a New York City woman who gave up her law career a decade ago after her superior harassed¹⁵ her then retaliated¹⁶ against her. She says she can't name her perpetrator because she signed a nondisclosure agreement as part of her three-month severance¹⁷ settlement.

BETH: I want my name attached to it, and I want this guy shaking in his shoes. I want him to be scared, and I want the people involved at the firm who helped cover this whole thing up to be scared.

NOGUCHI: She says if she faced a similar situation today, she, too, would speak out.

Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.

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1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

3 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 redress   

n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除

参考例句：

• He did all that he possibly could to redress the wrongs.他尽了一切努力革除弊端。
• Any man deserves redress if he has been injured unfairly.任何人若蒙受不公平的损害都应获得赔偿。

7 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

8 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

9 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

10 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

14 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

15 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

16 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

17 severance   

n.离职金；切断

参考例句：

• Those laid off received their regular checks,plus vacation and severance pay.那些被裁的人都收到他们应得的薪金，再加上假期和解职的酬金。Kirchofer was terminated,effective immediately--without severance or warning.科奇弗被解雇了，立刻生效--而且没有辞退费或者警告。