When charges are filed...

[Eamonn]

Like others I'm not an attorney.

I don't play one on TV and I slept at home last night , not at a Best Western.

I tend to agree that if this stays at the Troop level, talk of Charges and words like that are a bit over the top.

Still maybe, just maybe there might be a case if the CO is named as a party. (She could file against the CO for allowing it to happen!)

Where I work we have a lot of volunteers and all of them are given Sexual harassment training and agree to comply with the rules.

To cover my tail, I would contact the CO.

Mainly to ensure that they are aware of what's happening.

I'd file a report of the so called incident in writing, with the CO and the Council. (Keeping a copy on file for myself.)

Then I'd do nothing!!

Just wait and see what comes next!!

If I were the Committee Chair. I would have to think long and hard as to if I would want the Lady on the charter? (Providing of course the accusations are groundless) Or if there is any truth in them? I might want to look at my options? Some sort of training? Not rechartering the harassers? Not rechartering anyone involved? All of these are options that could be brought before the CO.

Many Councils do have lawyers on the Executive Board, who are willing to give advise for nothing. You might want to talk to your Council President.

I'll admit it does seem to be very much a storm in a teacup.

But if the press got hold of a story like this? You can imagine the embarrassments it might cause.

Ea.

[FScouter]

I like Eamonn's advice. I'd inform the CO and the SE, then sit back and let her play her hand. No sense getting your shorts all in a knot over some hot air. Wait until the aggrieved party "apparently files charges." Then if no charges are filed (whatever that means) by the end of the charter year, suggest to the CO and the CC that her name be deleted from charter unless someone wants to step forward and nominate her.

[packsaddle]

I'm fairly sure I've never been sexually harrassed as an adult...but my fingers are still crossed! Actually, come to think of it, I used to have a secretary (I was not her supervisor) who often said to me, "...you can kiss my a**." ...And then she'd never let me.

We were good friends and our back-and-forth, while thoroughly unprofessional, was fun and the work was done efficiently because we got along so well. Years later, we still correspond.

 

But seriously, back when I was working in the private sector SH was rampant and I observed some persons who were grievously harrassed by superiors. It left a bitter taste that I will never forget. In spite of my attempt at humor in the first lines, I am nevertheless sensitive to the problem.

 

Later, when I had a federal lab team, we had full employees, contractors, students, and an occasional passerby. In all cases my SH training began with the definition of sexual harrassment. It is almost entirely a matter of perception by the recipient. However, if the recipient has not brought the offence to the perpetrator's attention and asked him/her to stop, the process tends to go no further - unless the problem is extreme and involves an assault of some sort. That takes it out of the SH arena and thankfully, I never had to confront a problem of that magnitude.

The next step was that if the person offended asked the perpetrator to stop and they didn't stop, the offended person then brought it to the attention of a supervisor (me, in this case). At that time, at least in my case, the problem was resolved in a variety of ways.

 

If this woman has not confronted the accused, then her position is weakened because she did not give him a chance to stop or respond in some other manner.

This level of detail is missing in this forum, as far as I can tell.

If she has confronted him, and he blew her off, then it is fair enough for her to bring this to the attention of the committee or CO to air the grievance, for better or worse. As noted already by Beavah, it could just as well go against her, depending on the specifics.