In the article "My Boss Sexually Harassed Me and a Jury Awarded me $18 Million" published in Cosmopolitan three weeks ago, Hanna Vouveng vividly describes her personal experience of sexual assault in the workplace.
After graduating from a Swedish university with a degree in media and communications and moving to the Big Apple, Vouveng began to search for work.
After meeting the powerful and wealthy businessman, Benjamin Way, Vouveng was offered the job title “Director of Corporate Communications”, which included a generous salary, sponsored work visa, and office on Wall Street, according to her article.
Vouveng explained that from the very beginning, it was apparent Wey’s behavior was inappropriate. In her article, she says he offered to buy her extravagant gifts, commented on her appearance (specifically her body), and would offer compliments one day while insulting her the next.
His manipulation and treatment continued when one night on a business trip. Through her article, Vouveng shares, “I was shocked to learn that he had booked one room for the two of us. I felt paralyzed. He started kissing me and tried to get me to have sex with him without a condom, saying he was ‘clean.’”
Vouveng believed she was trapped – she states she did not want to lose her job, visa, and life in New York. She pretended the situation never happened and returned to work.
Wey continued to take advantage of Vouveng through multiple other acts of manipulation, and the two eventually had sex. Vouveng says, “I felt useless and devastated, like I was not worth anything. Over the next month, he pressured me into sex a few more times, until I simply couldn't deal with it anymore.”
His threats were still persistent, and he eventually told Vouveng that if she did not enter an intimate relationship with him, she would consequently lose her job and apartment.
Wey also walked in on Vouveng involved with another man, and went on a rampage emailing Vouveng’s family, friends, business contacts, and more. Vouveng says that Wey continually lied and defamed Vouveng on Facebook, his online magazine, and 11 other websites that he created.
Vouveng returned home to Sweden and filed a lawsuit. Her article discusses the underlying fear that no one would believe her story, and that it was HER fault for accepting Wey’s acts of “generosity”, but she still reported it.
The jury ended up ruling in Vouveng’s favor and awarded her $18 million.
While Vouveng’s story may offer us somewhat a beacon of hope for women to stand up for themselves and overcome their fear, her story is unfortunately quite atypical.
Sexual harassment continues to be a prevalent issue that women face in the workplace. According to an article published in The Huffington Post on a study conducted by Cosmopolitian.com, one in every three women between the ages of 18 to 34 has been harassed in the workplace. A whopping 81 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment verbally. Furthermore, 44 percent of women have experienced unwelcome touching and sexual advances, and 25 percent have experienced harassment via email or text message.
Women are beginning to speak up and press charges, but only 29 percent of women have reported their sexual harassment, while 71 percent did not, according to Cosmopolitan’s survey.
Women are not the only ones who experience sexual harassment, but unfortunately are nine times more likely to quit their job and three times more likely to get fired than their male counterparts.
By talking about these issues openly and not shoving them behind closed doors, we are already taking a step in the right direction. Vouveng’s courageous article serves as a platform to inspire females to speak up.
