Empathy-360°: Immersive Storytelling and Embodiment to Counter Sexual Harassment against Women.

The World Health Organization defines sexual violence as ‘‘any sexual act or attempt to obtain it, unwanted sexual comments or advances using coercion by any person regardless of their relationship with the victim, in any setting including but not limited to home and work.’’1 Sexual harassment is a subfield of sexual violence and occurs when people, mostly women, are targets of unwanted verbal or nonverbal sexual comments, gestures, or actions. It is estimated that 30% of women worldwide—nearly one in three—have been subjected to physical violence and/or sexual harassment by an intimate partner or nonpartner or both. In Europe, 22% of women have experienced violence by a partner, and 11% have encountered sexual harassment in some way with the highest rate in the north of the continent. According to the literature, sexual harassment may generate serious short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health problems in women, and it also affects their children’s health and well-being. Furthermore, female victims could suffer isolation, the inability to work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities, and limited ability to care for themselves and their children, leading to a significant social and economic costs throughout society.