By Bronwen Beechey
MELBOURNE — According to an old saying, a man's home is his castle. However, a recent study conducted in the Westernport region of Victoria shows that, for many women, sexual harassment makes home a place of insecurity and fear.
Whose home is it anyway?, the report on the study conducted by the Westernport Women's Housing Network, describes harassment by real estate agents, landlords, caravan park managers and housing workers. The study is based on interviews with 22 women and 14 housing and community workers in the region, which covers both urban/industrial and rural areas.
Fifty-three incidents of harassment were found among this small sample. They include:
- 23 reports of inappropriate visits (e.g. very early or late);
- 20 reports of overfamiliarity (asking about personal details or commenting on appearance);
- 18 reports of "friendly" or sexual touching;
- 16 reports of intimidation and threats;
- 10 reports of rape, physical violence or sexual abuse.
In one-fifth of cases, threats of eviction accompanied the harassment.
The majority of women in the study were single mothers living with children. These women felt that they were easy targets because the perpetrators knew that there were no males in the household.
Young women were also seen as being at risk, particularly young homeless women, who are often
harassed and assaulted by men offering a "no strings attached" couch or bed for the night.
Other factors increasing the risk included recent separation (particularly women leaving a violent situation), physical disability, psychiatric illness, use of illegal drugs, cultural and language factors for women from non-English speaking backgrounds, and social isolation in rural areas. Many women reported that the perpetrator seemed to recognise a vulnerability in their situation and took advantage of it.
The most likely situations in which women were harassed were: renting privately with no agent, caravan park living, shared housing and homelessness.
Complaints
In almost every case, the initial response to the harassment was to try to ignore it, avoid it or pretend it wasn't happening. This behaviour nearly always proved ineffective.
In over half the incidents, women took no complaint action, either because they did not know of any available option or because they felt the stress would not be worth it. Of the incidents where a complaint was made, only four women felt that their complaint had been appropriately dealt with.
In cases reported to police, it appeared that complaints involving rape and assault were generally taken seriously, but in less clear cases the response was generally that nothing could be done unless a criminal offence was committed. In one of these cases, the harassment ended in rape. In another incident a woman being harassed by a neighbour was told, "It's a domestic situation, deal with it yourself".
Although sexual harassment related to the provision of housing is illegal under both state and federal law, none of the women surveyed made a formal complaint to the Equal Opportunity Commission. The report pointed out that the commission currently has a six-month waiting list, and that the procedures of giving evidence and providing proof of harassment are too
stressful for many women.
Complaining to the Residential Tenancies Tribunal, Estate Agents Board or funding bodies can be equally frustrating and distressing. The report comments that "none of the options provide women with safety, together with a clear and worthwhile outcome for their efforts".
Severe effects
The effect of the harassment on women's lives was severe. Approximately half felt compelled to find alternative accommodation, with resulting financial hardship and sometimes ongoing homelessness. A number returned to situations of domestic violence, feeling that the known dangers at home were easier to deal with than the unknown ones elsewhere. Others wanted to leave, but found they were not in a position to do so.
The emotional effects were devastating. Women described feeling "powerless" and "trapped", being constantly fearful and unable to trust men in general. Many became increasingly security conscious, taking measures such as installing door and window locks or buying guard dogs.
All of the women felt strongly that the community has a responsibility to address this issue. There was widespread agreement that because control over women's housing is frequently in the hands of men, individual men are able to abuse this power, and recognition that sexual harassment in general stems from men's greater social and economic power.
As one woman summed up, "Women are poor, have kids and are housebound. They have experienced abuse throughout their lives, and are portrayed as objects or possessions."
Among the major recommendations of the report are:
- that the Equal Opportunity Commission carry out a community education program on the issue of housing-related harassment and discrimination, and that the commission be given resources to allow a reduction in waiting times and the development of more sensitive and accessible
complaints procedures;
- that the Residential Tenancies Tribunal develop policies for appropriate responses to complaints of sexual harassment;
- that the Department of Planning and Development (which covers public housing) investigate the feasibility of women-only cluster housing developments, and consider sexual harassment as an eligibility criterion for priority housing applications, transfers and bond assistance;
- that the Department of Health and Community Services provide women only options in all emergency housing programs;
- that various laws be amended to ensure that visits to premises by owners or agents must be at a time agreed to by the tenant unless the matter is urgent, and to require owners or agents to forfeit their key in cases of sexual harassment or invasion of privacy.
Self-regulation
While Whose home is it, anyway? has been well received by housing, welfare and women's organisations, the response by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria was predictably hostile. Graham Stanley from the REIV told the April 29 Age that the sample was too small to draw any conclusions. The response from the state government to the report has been deafening silence.
Jules Wilkinson, a worker with Shelter Victoria, commented on the irony that the report comes out at a time when the government is cutting back funding to tenant advocacy groups, which are often the first point of contact for women who are being harassed. "There is also a move to self-regulation of the real estate industry. The report shows that even under the current system, where there are some safeguards, women are being victimised. Now the people who are often responsible for the harassment are being asked to regulate themselves."
Wilkinson also points out that the situation is
compounded by lack of government commitment to affordable public and community housing. "There are already hundreds of thousands on the waiting list for public housing. The recession and the collapse of the state government home loans scheme are forcing more women into the private rental market, and into situations where their lack of economic and social options can be exploited."
The effect of the harassment is summed up poignantly by one woman: "It took away our home — a place we felt secure and comfortable in, and we were proud of. It became a box we lived in."