wfn.org | UMNS# 05133-United Methodist agency distributes sex harassment

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United Methodist agency distributes sex harassment survey

Mar. 3, 2005	 News media contact:   Linda  Bloom * (646) 3693759*  New
York {05133}

NOTE: A photograph is available at http://umns.umc.org.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

A sexual harassment survey is being sent to women involved in various
areas of the United Methodist Church.

Mailing of the survey, through the denomination's Commission on the
Status and Role of Women, was to be completed by early March, according
to Elaine Moy, COSROW staff executive. The deadline for returning the
survey is the end of March.

The sampling of 6,300 women includes all female employees of the
church's general agencies, female employees of annual (regional)
conferences, and 1,000 clergywomen. Copies for distribution to other
women were sent to bishops, district superintendents, seminaries and
1,000 chairpersons of staff-parish committees at local churches.

The last survey on sexual harassment-mandated by the 1988 General
Conference, the denomination's top legislative body-was conducted by the
General Council on Ministries. That agency was disbanded in 2004 and its
preparations for the current survey forwarded to COSROW.

The 1990 survey, which involved 1,600 women, defined sexual harassment
as any sexual-related behavior that is unwelcome or offensive or fails
to respect the rights of others.

Of respondents to the 1990 survey, 51 percent of clergy, 20 percent of
laity, 48 percent of students and 37 percent of employees reported
having a sexual harassment experience in a setting related to the United
Methodist Church.

Since then, General Conference has passed a resolution on "Eradication
of Sexual Harassment in The United Methodist Church and Society" and
included a section on sexual harassment in the denomination's Social
Principles. That section defines sexual harassment as "any unwanted
sexual comment, advance or demand, either verbal or physical, that is
reasonably perceived by the recipient as demeaning, intimidating or
coercive."

In her cover letter for the new survey, M. Garlinda Burton, COSROW's
chief executive, said sexual harassment violates the covenant of love
and charity among church members.

"As society's awareness of these issues has increased in recent years,
so has our denomination's diligence in instituting policies for the
church at all levels and training clergy and laity in leadership to
understand appropriate personal boundaries and ways to care for all
persons with whom we live, work and do ministry," she wrote.

The new survey includes demographic information about respondents and
asks whether sexual harassment incidents occurred at a local church, a
work place setting or a seminary "to see where occurrences do happen,"
Moy said. All responses will remain anonymous and will be reported in
summary form only.

COSROW hopes to have the survey's findings by its annual meeting in
September. "We're going to compare this data to 1990 and see if there
have been any changes," she said.

The information will be shared with the larger church, particularly with
the denomination's Council of Bishops.

# # #

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org