Omnipresence, Victim-Shaming and Non-Action: Young People's Views on Sexual Harassment in the #Metoo Era

This study explores the views and experiences of sexual harassment among youth and young adults aged 15-29 years in the wake of the #metoo movement in Finland. The data were collected through a qualitative survey and interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study contributes to the literature that foregrounds young people's own voices by shedding light on the participants' experience-based knowledge of sexual harassment. The analysis generated three predominant themes: the insidious omnipresence of sexual harassment, the persistence of victim-shaming, and non-action as the prevalent norm. Together, these themes highlight the participants' readiness to engage in a critique of sexual harassment while simultaneously showing its intense and continuing salience and harmfulness in their everyday lives.