What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment is defined as any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual Harassment is NOT romance or flirtation between two people who consent. Sexual harassment IS discrimination, an abuse of power and used to humiliate and intimidate. Sexual harassers often use threats to extort sexual favours. Sexual harassment is also used to force women out of non-traditional jobs

Sexual attention becomes sexual harassment when the behaviour is persisted in (although a single incident of harassment can constitute sexual harassment); and/or the recipient has made it clear that the behaviour is considered offensive; and/or the perpetrator should have known that the behaviour is regarded as unacceptable.

What defines conduct as unwelcome?

Conduct is unwelcome if the recipient did not initiate it and regards it as offensive. Generally, the un/welcomness of sexual attention will depend on the recipients reaction to it although some sexual advances (“come here Babe and give me some of that”) are so crude and blatant that the advance itself shows its unwelcomeness.

Examples of Sexual Harassment include:

• Putting up of pornographic pictures or other offensive materials
• Refusing to work with someone because of his or her sex
• Unwanted and unwelcoming remarks, jokes, teasing or questions of a sexual nature e.g. about a person’s body, clothing or sex
• Unwanted advances of a sexual nature or inappropriate touching, cornering or leaning over
• Unwanted attention of a sexual nature: suggestive looks, gestures, letters, phone calls, sms’s, emails or materials
• Offers for a raise, job promotion, increase in grade or passing of a subject or any services or favours in exchange for a date or for sex
• Actual or attempted sexual assault and rape