I was recently involved in a sexual harassment case. Both partys involved are close to me. The girl and guy names I will be choosing to use will be changed to protect them.
Heather= Girl
Cary= Guy
I was just relieved on my break and left Heather talking to Cary. I was gone for a good half an hour and when I returned Cary looked at me and left, Heather came to me and almost started crying. She claimed that she put out her hand for a stick of gum when cary had taken her hand in his and began to squeeze and stroke it. I was shocked but on a previous occasion I remembered Cary had done something very similar to me except he hadn't touched me. She went further to say that when they were talking he leaned in closer to her and told her that he was very interested in everything that she was saying. She added that when he gave her a package of gum she dropped it rudely on the table because she didn't want to touch his hand. She admitted she was rude but she was angry and scared. After what had happened he told her if she was going to be like that she could stick it in his pocket. She was shocked that he would do such a thing since he was supposed to be her friend and role model.
I told her everything would be okay and that we would talk to our supervisor when she returned from her trip.
A half an hour later she returned to my desk and told me how cary had tugged her hair and was following her around. He had asked her where she lived and she had lied about it.
I could feel that she was scared and angry, she had reported it soon after leaving me.
Now, I am wondering why cary would do such a thing. He knows the difference between right and wrong but what he had said seemed pretty sketchy.
I am both their friends and yet I have refused to talk to cary since. My friend is young,polite, and very kind. I doubt that she would pull a story like this from thin air.
I have recommended that she take this case further but I am not sure if this is the right course of action.
I wasn't quite sure where to post this and have entered it twice. Here and under Ethics:confused: