Abdoul Galiou Dabre Discussion #7

Social institutions are units in the society where people interact for a specific task or purpose, for example, religious institutions or education facilities. For these institutions to run, there is a need for artifacts that represent the tradition or the culture of an institution. Education is a social institution where children and youth interact freely without limitation from parents. One of the artifacts in education institutions is the policies on sexual harassment (McDonald, Peter 7). For a long time, many students have been experiencing sexual violations from friends, teachers, and close relatives in some cases.  To protect children from such harmful acts, laws, and regulations, there are policies governing how the school handles sexual offenses. However, there have been many complaints about how these cases are handled, with many people saying that the judges are biased against male victims, mostly in cases involving under-aged children. Most men who have been accused of having an affair with minor children are locked up for a long time without considering whether there was consent from the minor. Understanding this artifact helps in understanding education as a social institution and various concepts in gender studies.

One of the concepts in gender and women studies is feminism. Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights because all sexes are similar. Commonly, men have been known to have power over women, while women are submissive to men in society. This is a significant basis for assigning gender roles in most communities where women mainly engage in house chores while men are breadwinners in society (Bell, Elizabeth, and Daniel Blaeuer). In most sexual harassment cases in girls, they fear to come out in fear of shame and her circumstances being dismissed. Women have little or no say in society, which makes it hard for sexual harassment cases to be reported. Empowerment of women is a goal of feminism that strives to give women a voice in society. Sexual harassment policies support feminism since they give young girls the courage to report any cases of assault. However, feminists have been accused of misusing these laws to oppress men through legal channels.

Moreover, male cases of sexual assault are not taken seriously since feminists have shown the society that only girls are exposed to sexual assault. Men and boys also experience instances of molestation and sexual abuse in educational institutions. The artifact on sexual harassment policies can be strengthened by ensuring that both men and women cases are given the attention they deserve (DeFrancisco 132). Transgender studies are concepts in gender studies that affect policies of sexual harassment. In history, transgender people have always been persecuted and abused by others in society for their sexuality. Most cissexual people in society do not understand transgender people, and this forms the base for abuse. For such people to be protected, they need to be included in educational institutions’ policies of sexual harassment. Transgender people face a lot of struggles in society, making it essential for schools to be safe places for such people (Johnson). Transgender studies should be taught in schools to understand the sexuality of transgender people and interact freely in the learning institutions (Blumberg).