SOSH – does that mean anything to you?
It stands for Second-Order Sexual Harassment (SOSH) – a term that names a dangerous but often invisible problem: retaliation against people who support victims of sexual harassment.
SOSH refers to the reprisals, hostility, or discrimination not directed at the original victim, but at those who defend, support, or believe them, colleagues, friends, whistleblowers, or bystanders. This retaliation can take the form of social exclusion, professional ostracism, blocked career opportunities, or even job loss.
Origins of SOSH
The term was first introduced by Spanish researcher Dr. Rosa Valls in the early 2010s and has since been formally recognised in Catalonia, which in 2020 legally defined second-order violence as reprisals against those who stand with victims of gender-based violence. Valls’ research found that nearly 60% of supporters in schools and universities reported retaliation, ranging from exclusion to loss of professional opportunities.
Shocking numbers (as usual)
This isn’t isolated. A 2021 European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) survey found that over one-third of union reps across Europe had witnessed retaliation against someone who supported or reported a sexual harassment complaint. These supporters often faced withheld promotions, exclusion from meetings, or non-renewal of contracts.
In the UK, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found that 52% of women who experienced workplace sexual harassment didn’t report it, often fearing not just personal consequences but the impact on those who might back them up. Among those who did report, many said their allies were punished — through social exclusion or formal disciplinary action.
A large-scale EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey involving 42,000 women across EU member states found that only 4% of women reported the most serious cases of harassment to their employer, often due to fear of retaliation. That fear extends to those around them. In other words, SOSH keeps everyone silent.
Re-traumatisation
This dynamic creates a chilling effect. SOSH doesn’t just re-traumatise survivors, it isolates them, discourages solidarity, and protects abusers by discouraging intervention. A 2020 study in Nature Human Behaviour noted that academics who supported harassment victims often faced serious backlash, such as loss of research opportunities and strained professional relationships.
We give vital attention to survivors of harassment, as we should. But we must also look at the retaliation faced by those who stand with them. Systems that punish both the victim and their allies uphold a culture of silence and complicity.
That’s why recognising and naming SOSH matters. Because when support becomes dangerous, the cost of doing the right thing becomes too high, and nothing changes.
A 2018 study by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that 75% of employees who spoke out against workplace mistreatment experienced some form of retaliation. That retaliation doesn’t just affect the direct complainant , it spills over to anyone who stands beside them.
Solidarity is a shield – not a target
Solidarity must be a shield, not a target. Protecting those who speak out also means protecting those who stand beside them.
These findings across Europe and the U.S. show that SOSH is a real, measurable phenomenon, and that it’s happening in both formal and informal ways across workplaces, schools, and institutions. While more countries are beginning to legally recognise and study it, the culture of retaliation against allies continues to perpetuate silence.
Even on platforms such as LinkedIn, campaigners such as Cindy Gallop and other women content creators have been maintaining for some time that their posts are being buried by the algorithm when they mention issues related to sexism and sexual harassment. This silencing of women using technology a weapon is just as insidious. My own posts on these topics regularly disappear into the ether.
SOSH is a weapon used to “encourage” silence to protect abuse and discourage resistance. So let’s build structures that defend not just survivors, but also the voices that help carry their truth.
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Who is your organisation protecting?
It’s not enough to support victims of harassment, you must also protect those who stand with them.
Train your teams. Update your policies. Make it clear: retaliation in any form won’t be tolerated.
Second-Order Sexual Harassment (SOSH) is real, and it’s costing trust, talent, and your culture.GET IN TOUCH NOW!
