Sexual Harassment

According to a YouGov survey commissioned by UN Women UK, 97% of women aged 18-24 and 80% of women of all ages have experienced some form of sexual harassment. The survey, that collected data from over 1000 women, also showed that 96% did not report incidents as it was either not serious enough (e.g. groping, coercion into sexual activities) or would not change anything.

“This is a human rights crisis. It’s just not enough for us to keep saying ‘this is too difficult a problem for us to solve’ – it needs addressing now,” so Claire Barnett, executive director of UN Women UK. “We are looking at a situation where younger women are constantly modifying their behaviour in an attempt to avoid being objectified or attacked, and older women are reporting serious concerns about personal safety if they ever leave the house in the dark – even during the daytime in winter.”

An unidentified woman has accused New York governor Andrew Cuomo of groping her, the newspaper Times Union of Albany reports. Cuomo allegedly "reached under her blouse and began to fondle her". She is the sixth woman who came forward.

"As I said yesterday, I have never done anything like this. The details of this report are gut-wrenching. I am not going to speak to the specifics of this or any other allegation given the ongoing review, but I am confident in the result of the attorney general’s report," Cuomo responded. He has denied all allegations so far.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed the two allegations of sexual harassment against him for the first time on Sunday, saying he was "truly sorry" to those who might have "misinterpreted" his remarks "as an unwanted flirtation."

"I now understand that my interactions may have been insensitive or too personal and that some of my comments, given my position, made others feel in ways I never intended. I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that," so Cuomo.

The ex-aide, Charlotte Bennett, told The New York Times that she was repeatedly made to feel uncomfortable by Andrew Cuomo after she was hired in 2019 in the governor's office. Bennett said the governor had asked her numerous questions about her personal life, including whether she believed that age made a difference in romantic relationships.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared and was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job," Bennett said.

The gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday after human trafficking and sexual assault charges were announced against him. Geddert, who led the 2012 U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team to win gold, was charged with 24 felonies Thursday in Eaton County, Michigan.

"My office has been notified that the body of John Geddert was found late this afternoon after taking his own life," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel later said in a statement.

Frank Jensen, mayor of Copenhagen since 2010, resigned on Monday following several allegations of sexual harassment. Jensen will also step down from his role as deputy leader of Denmark's governing Social Democratic Party.

Jensen's exit came after two women said they were sexually harassed at social events by Jensen in 2012 and 2017, respectively with both saying he touched them without consent.

Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, called Jensen’s resignation the "right decision" in a Facebook post and told the local news agency Ritzau it is "obvious" there are problems in the Social Democratic Party that must change immediately.

Fox News's Ed Henry, Sean Hannity & Tucker Carlson have been sued for sexual misconduct by two women on Monday. The suit alleges that Henry, who was fired earlier this month, sexually assaulted, raped and restrained in a hotel room and threatened former Fox News employee Jennifer Eckhart. Former Fox News employee Cathy Are says she was sexually harassed by members of Fox News, including Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Howard Kurtz.

Washington Redskins team staffers have been accused of sexual harassment and verbal by 15 former female employees and two journalists. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Richard Mann II made sexual comments to a female employee. He was fired last week. Also a video of Larry Michael, former senior VP of content, appeared where he talked about the attractiveness of a college intern. He retired on Wednesday. The Washington Redskins have hired attorney Beth Wilkinson and launched an internal investigation.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has rejected a proposed $19 million settlement for the women who accused former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse and harassment. Hellerstein stated the offer failed to compensate many of the victims who allege they were sexually assaulted or raped by Weinstein.

Hellerstein said: "Not every woman was captured in the same way, Your settlement would create inequality among all of those people.".

Ubisoft announced Sunday significant personnel changes related to the sexual harassment investigation the company is conducting. The CCO Serge Hascoet, Canada's managing director Yannis Mallat are leaving the company. The global head of HR Cécile Cornet would step down from her position.

On a press release, Yves Guillemot, CEO and Co-Founder of Ubisoft, said: "Ubisoft has fallen short in its obligation to guarantee a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees. This is unacceptable, as toxic behaviours are in direct contrast to values on which I have never compromised —and never will. I am committed to implementing profound changes across the Company to improve and strengthen our workplace culture,"

After female employees accused multiple employees of sexual assault at Ubisoft, the company has placed the alleged perpetrators including two executives on leave and now announced a "structural shift" to change the work environment, make it safer and improve the accountability.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has stated that he is "putting in place a series of initiatives that will serve as a roadmap as we listen, learn, and act". Part of the initiatives will be the appointment of Lidwine Sauer as Head of Workplace Culture, a global survey for all employees, listening sessions, the continuation of the investigation into the allegations of sexual assault and other measures.

The German parliament Bundestag has criminalized taking nonconsensual pictures under skirts or dresses. Under current legislation, it hadn't been illegal in most cases while under new legislations the perpetrators can be sentenced to up to two years of prison time. The same penalties will be applied to taking pictures and photographs of deceased accident victims as the current legislation only protected survivors.

On Tuesday, the New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that a $19 million settlement had been reached in a 2018 civil rights lawsuit on behalf of multiple women against former film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.

"Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company failed their female employees. After all the harassment, threats, and discrimination, their victims are finally receiving some justice," so James in a statement. The sum of $18,875,000 will be distributed among "women who experienced a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination while working at The Weinstein Company, as well as sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein."

Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, two attorneys for several of Weinstein's victims called the settlement a "complete sellout" and said they were surprised "that the Attorney General could somehow boast about a proposal that fails on so many different levels."

Video game company Ubisoft has publicly responded to recent allegations of sexual harassment and assault against multiple of the company's employees, including community manager Andrien Gbinigie and creative director Ashraf Ismail.

In its statement, Ubisoft said that it had "started by launching investigations into the allegations with the support of specialised external consultants" and that "based on the outcomes, we are fully committed to taking any and all appropriate disciplinary action."