Joe Murphy (joemurphyccep@gmail.com) is a Senior Advisor at Compliance Strategists, SCCE’s Director of Public Policy, and Editor-in-Chief of Compliance & Ethics Professional magazine.

In a recent article on 2017 developments, Rebecca Walker discussed the increased focus by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the role of the chief ethics and compliance officer (CECO), including independence, authority, and direct contact with the board. Similarly, DOJ looked at empowerment of the field compliance people.

This focus reminds us of a weakness in the anti-harassment effort—failure to address power imbalances. There has been occasional recognition that much harassment involves the abuse of power. If the harasser has power over the victim, this weakens the victim’s ability to react. If the victim can get support from a different power source, like a strong CECO, then the odds are improved.