Transcript

Module 1 – Manifestations of sexual harassment

Examples of sexual harassment are typically presented as particular behaviours where the offensiveness of the behaviour is explicitly included or where the unwelcome ness of the behaviour is implied. The message that these examples attempt to convey to people is that these behaviours are best avoided because they may constitute sexual harassment.

Harassing behaviour may be verbal

• foul and vulgar language
• inquiries or comments about an individual's sex life
• teasing because of unattractiveness
• comments about a person’s body or appearance
• derogatory language or sexual epithets

Harassing behaviour may be physical

• brushing up against the body
• inappropriate touching
• cornering
• grabbing
• sexual assault

Harassing behaviour may be visual

• display of pornographic pictures
• sexual exposure

Harassing behaviour may consist of gestures and other non-verbal behaviour

• leering and ogling
• licking lips
• gestures that denote sexual activity

Examplesof sexual harassment taken from the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s website

• Touching you inappropriately
• Making offensive jokes or remarks about women or men
• Making sexual requests or suggestions
• Staring at or making unwelcome comments about your body
• Displaying sexually offensive pictures
• Being verbally abusive to you because of your gender

Examplesof sexual harassment taken from the University of Ottawa Sexual Harassment Office’s Annual Reports

• an administrator hugs his female staff who are uncomfortable with this behaviour.
• an employee is told by her supervisor to find another job after their affair goes sour.
• a female student complains that a personal ad featuring her was placed on the internet without her consent.
• an employee is humiliated when a male employee makes an offensive remark about her breasts.
• a male teaching assistant gets unwanted emails with a sexual content from an anonymous female student
• unwelcome emails containing explicit references to pornographic Web sites
• an offensive joke of a sexual nature directed at a student in the classroom
• homophobic messages
• a male student handing in an assignment with sexually explicit content unrelated to course content to a TA.
• a student threatens another student when his request for a kiss is refused