Remediation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment

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Research shows that sexual harassment can cause harm to not only the survivor of sexual harassment but also the person accused of the harassing behavior and the community in which the harassment has occurred. Given many institutions' primary focus on compliance processes and relative lack of attention to addressing the harm experienced by different individuals as a result of the harassment, there is a pressing need for work that elucidates the resources that currently exist and the resources that are still needed to address that harm.

Synthesizing research, case studies, and archival data from the Action Collaborative's repository of novel work on the topic, this paper explores the harms that can occur as a result of sexual harassment at institutions of higher education, and the resources that exist to remedy those harms. The paper reviews how, at a high level, these laws, policies, and regulations may influence what the remediation of sexual harm can entail, including a brief history of how institutions have approached their remediation efforts in the past, followed by a discussion of the current landscape of efforts to assist various individuals harmed directly or indirectly by sexual harassment over the course of the institutional response process.

Additional materials

Completed Remediation Efforts Matrix to Support Remediating Sexual Harassment-Based Harm

Publication information

76 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-09929-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/29095

Suggested citation

Frasca, T., Alvarado, I., Bühlmann, P., and Hutchison, E. 2025. Identifying Gaps in Sexual Harassment Remediation Efforts in Higher Education: Issue Paper. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Retaliation in any form can result in a range of negative consequences for those who experience it either directly or indirectly. Individuals can experience limitations in the opportunities to contribute and advance in their career, and they may feel as if their only response to the adversity is to leave the field. When an institution allows such retaliation to take place, the target's sense of trust and dependency in the institution to maintain their safety and act on their behalf is negatively impacted. Retaliation can also have consequences for the broader community and the institution. For example, observers of retaliation can be affected by the low morale in the department or unit stemming from retaliation. The paper illustrates how legal protections can fall short when various types of retaliatory actions occur in academia and explores how institutions can creatively address retaliation with broader policies—policies that expand on and hone institutions' current anti-retaliation practices, engender effective communication of their response to various forms of retaliation.

This individually-authored issue paper was created by members of the Remediation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education to explore the full implications of retaliation in higher education and develop a paper that provides relevant information as discussed in the 2018 National Academies report Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine brings together academic and research institutions and key stakeholders to work toward targeted, collective action on addressing and preventing sexual harassment across all disciplines and among all people in higher education. The Action Collaborative includes four working groups (Prevention, Response, Remediation, and Evaluation) that identify topics in need of research, gather information, and publish resources for the higher education community.

Publication information

34 pages · 8.5 x 11 ·
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71279-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/27362

Suggested citation

Lam, M., A. Falcon, and N. Merhill. 2023. Preventing and Addressing Retaliation Resulting from Sexual Harassment in Academia. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Remediation Working Group of the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment

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Identifying Gaps in Sexual Harassment Remediation Efforts in Higher Education: Issue Paper

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