Sexual harassment and assault in government agencies / Margaret Brown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brown, Margaret, author.

Series:

Safety and Risk in Society

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sexual harassment--Law and legislation.

Sexual harassment.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (350 pages)

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, [2021]

Summary:

With nearly 900,000 federal civilian employees around the world, DOD has responsibilities for preventing and responding to sexual harassment and assault within its workforce. Chapter 1 examines the extent to which DOD has visibility over such reported incidents and has developed and implemented policies and procedures to respond to and resolve these incidents. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has policies to prevent and address sexual harassment in the workplace, but some aspects of the policies and of the complaint processes may hinder those efforts. Chapters 2 and 3 address the extent to which VA has policies to prevent and address sexual harassment, how available data inform VA about sexual harassment, and the extent to which VA provides training to employees on preventing and addressing sexual harassment. The Department of the Interior has a sexual harassment problem. For decades women and men in national parks, refuges, and other public lands and offices have not been given the protections they need to do their work free from harm as reported in chapter 4. The Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian) is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo. An allegation of sexual harassment between two Smithsonian affiliated persons was made public and is discussed in chapter 5. Chapters 6-8 look at how sexual harassment and assault has affected NOAA employees, and how NOAA is trying to address the issue.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Sexual Harassment and Assault: Guidance Needed to Ensure Consistent Tracking, Response, and Training for DOD Civilians(

Abbreviations

Why GAO Did This Study

What GAO Recommends

What GAO Found

Background

Legal Framework for Workplace Sexual Harassment

Definition of and Roles and Responsibilities for Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response in DOD

DOD Processes for Reporting, Investigating, and Resolving Sexual Harassment Complaints

Civilian Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program

Military Equal Opportunity (MEO) Program

Command Investigations

Anti-Harassment Program

Definition of and Roles and Responsibilities for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response in DOD

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO)

Service Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Programs

SAPR Support Services and Reporting Options

Military Justice System

DOD Has Taken Steps to Track Reports of Sexual Harassment and Assault Involving Federal Civilian Employees, but Several Issues Limit Its Visibility

DOD Has Taken Steps to Improve Tracking of Sexual Harassment Complaints Involving Federal Civilian Employees, but Several Challenges Limit Its Overall Visibility

Tracking of EEO Sexual Harassment Complaints

Tracking of Harassment Allegations Made Outside of the EEO Process

Military Services' Tracking of Informal MEO Complaints of Sexual Harassment

Limited Guidance on Tracking Reported Sexual Assaults Involving Federal Civilian Employees Hinders DOD's Visibility over Such Incidents Department-Wide

Military Departments' Tracking of Sexual Assaults Involving DOD Federal Civilian Employees

Other DOD Components' Tracking of Sexual Assaults Involving Federal Civilian Employees.

Tracking Federal Civilian Employment Status in Reported Sexual Assaults

Not All DOD Components Have Access to the Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database

DOD Has Taken Steps to Estimate Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevalence among Its Federal Civilian Workforce, but Results Are Not Widely Distributed

Gaps Exist in DOD's Response to and Resolution of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Incidents Involving Federal Civilian Employees

DOD Has Issued Guidance to Respond to Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Federal Civilian Employees, but It Does Not Comprehensively Address All Mechanisms for Resolution

Structure of Anti-Harassment Programs

DOD Federal Civilian Employee Eligibility for Command Investigations

Sexual Assault Support Services Depend on the Victim's Eligibility, and Availability of Services for DOD Federal Civilian Employees Is Inconsistent across the Department

DOD Federal Civilian Employee Eligibility for Sexual Assault Support Services

DOD Component Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Programs

Availability of Legal Services for DOD Federal Civilian Employees

Reporting Options for Federal Civilian Employees Are Inconsistent across DOD

Service Exceptions to Allow Federal Civilian Restricted Reporting Are Inconsistent

All Services Allow Unrestricted Reporting for Federal Civilian Employees outside the Continental United States

Notification Responsibilities of SAPR Personnel Following a Disclosure of Work-Related Sexual Assault Are Unclear

Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts for DOD Federal Civilian Employees Are Primarily Focused on Training and Vary across the Department

Provision and Content of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Training Vary across the Department.

DOD Federal Civilian Employees Receive Sexual Harassment Training, but Frequency and Content Vary

DOD Provides Sexual Assault Training to Some Federal Civilian Employees, but Inclusion of Leading Practices Varies

DOD Has Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts, but Lacks Comprehensive Strategies Specific to Federal Civilian Employees

Conclusion

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

List of Committees

Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Methods Used to Assess Visibility over Reported Incidents

EEO Sexual Harassment Data

MEO Sexual Harassment Data

Reported Sexual Assault Data

Military Criminal Investigative Organization Sexual Assault Data

Tracking Reported Incidents of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault

Methods Used to Assess Development and Implementation of Policies and Procedures to Respond to and Resolve Incidents

Data Related to Support Services for Civilian Employees

Methods Used to Assess Establishment of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Training

GAO-Identified Leading Practices for Sexual Harassment Training

GAO-Identified Leading Practices for Sexual Assault Training

Evaluation of Training Materials

Other Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention Efforts

Appendix II: Characteristics of Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints, Fiscal Years 2015-2019

Appendix III: Sexual Assault Support Service Staffing Levels, Fiscal Years 2015-2019

Appendix IV: Characteristics of Military Equal Opportunity Sexual Harassment Complaints, Fiscal Years 2015-2019

Appendix V: Characteristics of Sexual Assaults Involving Department of Defense Civilian Employees, Fiscal Years 2015-2019

Appendix VI: GAO-Identified Leading Practices and Required Elements for Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Training.

Leading Practices and Required Elements for Sexual Harassment Training

Leading Practices and Required Elements for Sexual Assault Training

Appendix VII: Comments from the Department of Defense

Chapter 2

Sexual Harassment: Inconsistent and Incomplete Policies and Information Hinder VA's Efforts to Protect Employees(

Title VII and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Requirements

VA's Organizational Structure for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment

VA's Methods to Address Sexual Harassment

Management Process

Harassment Prevention Program (HPP)

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Process

VA Has Policies to Prevent and Address Sexual Harassment, but VA's EEO Organizational Structures are Misaligned and Key Policies Are Not Formalized

VA's EEO Organizational Structures Do Not Adhere to a Key EEOC Directive or VA's Agency Policy

EEO Director

EEO Program Managers

Outdated and Inconsistent Policies and Information May Create Confusion

Harassment Prevention Program's Lack of Formal Policy Could Hinder its Effectiveness

VA Lacks Comprehensive Information on Sexual Harassment Prevalence and on Any Related Corrective Actions Taken

VA's Use of Sexual Harassment Data Has Key Limitations

VA Does Not Fully Track Corrective Actions in Response to Sexual Harassment Findings

VA Provides Limited Training on Sexual Harassment to Its Employees

List of Requesters

Appendix I: Additional Information on Selected Methodologies

Semi­Structured Interviews with VA Officials

Analysis of VA's EEO and HPP Data and Case Files

Analysis of MSPB Data

Key Variables Analyzed.

MSPB Reliability and Nonresponse Bias Analysis

Selected 2016 MSPB Survey Questions

Appendix II: Analysis of Merit Systems Protection Board Survey Data

Characteristics of Sexual Harassment Experiences at VA

Information on Types of Sexual Harassment Behaviors

Information on Alleged Harassers

Actions Taken by Those Who Experienced Sexual Harassment

Employee Perceptions of Sexual Harassment at VA

Comparison of Sexual Harassment across Federal Agencies

Appendix III: VA Data on Equal Employment Opportunity Program and Harassment Prevention Program Cases

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program Data

Harassment Prevention Program (HPP) Data

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Veterans Affairs

Chapter 3

Sexual Harassment VA: Needs to Better Protect Employees(

VA's EEO Organizational Structures Are Misaligned and Key Policies Are Not Formalized

Misalignment of EEO Director Position

Misalignment of EEO Program Manager Positions

Incomplete or Outdated Policies and Information

Delayed Finalization of HPP

VA Lacks Comprehensive Information on Sexual Harassment Prevalence and on Corrective Actions Taken

Limitations in Use of Sexual Harassment Data

Incomplete Tracking of Corrective Actions

Chapter 4

Sexual Harassment at the Department of the Interior (

Statement of the Hon. Debbie Dingell, a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan

Statement of the Hon. Louie Gohmert, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas

Statement of Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

Prepared Statement of Mark Lee Greenblatt, Inspector General, Department of the Interior.

Questions Submitted for the Record to Mark Greenblatt, Inspector General, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-5361-9591-X

OCLC:

1250090640