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Students talk harassment, abuse of power

Posted at 5:42 PM, Nov 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-21 19:11:39-05

The big names, and the accusations have been non-stop in recent days.  Stories of men in power, in politics and entertainment, abusing that power.

Wednesday, NewsChannel 5 sat down with a group of students at Sebastian River High School to talk about the news.

“I wouldn’t say it’s as much shocking.  I’d say it’s a sign that it’s getting worse," said Senior Emily Hanley.

As these students will head to the ballot box next year; some say they can separate the person from the politician.

“Some reprimands for that action but saying, 'am I going to vote for him or not?' It just depends on what he says he’s going to do," said senior Olivier Prinsen-Balu.

But they add, if you don’t like the behavior of one, you can’t condone similar behavior from another you may agree with politically.

“Then you have to look back in history and say all these people are bad," added Prinsen-Balu.

When it comes to history, would the young women of 2017 act the way their peers did decades ago?

“We all say if I was in this situation I would have spoken out, but I cannot say I would have spoken out if I was one of those girls," said Katelyn Montanez.

As a parent, how do you have conversations like this with your kids?

“You need to be approachable first off," said district psychologist Jessica Rojas. 

Rojas says these topics are easier to handle when there’s parental involvement in their child’s life.

“And that within a household it is permissible to have disagreement," said Rojas.

The student group said while every victim's voice should be heard, it’s important to make sure accusations are not brought forth out of jealousy. 

“If you want something to be done about it, you bring it up right away," said Colin Willis.