Sexual Harassement - a Definition

Sexual harassment is harassment of a sexual nature; typically in the workplace or other setting where raising objections or refusing may have negative consequences. Sexual harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination and is a form of sexual and psychological abuse, ranging from mild transgressions to serious abuses. Indeed, psychologists and social workers report that severe and/or chronic sexual harassment can have the same psychological effects on victims as rape or sexual assault.
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What is Sexual Harassment?

Compiled by Martha Langelan in Back Off! How To Confront And Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers – taken from: http://www.feminist.org

Any of the following unwanted behavior may constitute sexual harassment:

Demands by a member of your own or the opposite sex
Any behavior of a sexual nature, which creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating working environment for you
Indecent or dirty remarks
Comments about the way you look which you find demeaning or make you feel like a piece of meat
Questions about your sex life
Leering
Wolf whistles
Discussion of one's partner's sexual inadequacies
Sexual innuendo
Comments about women's bodies
'Accidentally' brushing sexual parts of the body
Lewd & threatening letters
Tales of sexual exploitation
Graphic descriptions of pornography
Pressure for dates
Sexually explicit gestures
Unwelcome touching and hugging
Sexual sneak attacks, (e.g., grabbing breasts or buttocks )
Sabotaging women's work
Sexist and insulting graffiti
Demanding, "Hey, baby, give me a smile"
Inappropriate invitations (e.g., hot tub)
Sexist jokes and cartoons
Hostile put-downs of women
Exaggerated, mocking 'courtesy'
Public humiliation
Obscene phone calls
Displaying pornography in the workplace
Insisting that workers wear revealing clothes
Inappropriate gifts (ex. lingerie)
Hooting, sucking, lip-smacking, & animal noises
Pressing or rubbing up against the victim
Sexual assault
Soliciting sexual services
Stalking
Leaning over, invading a person's space
Indecent exposure

Benefits of Sexual Harassment Policies

Ignoring problems of sexual harassment can cost the average company up to $6.7 million a year in low productivity, low morale, and employee turnover and absenteeism, not including litigation or other legal costs. Following clear and proactive formal policies against sexual harassment in the workplace is one way to prevent lawsuits and drops in productivity and efficiency. ("Sexual Harassment in the Fortune 500", Working Woman, Dec. 19, 1988).
Source: http://www.feminist.org

How to Handle Sexual Harassment

Make it clear that you reject their treatment - with a witness if possible - and record what has happened.
Keep a diary of behavior you find offensive, including times, dates, locations and witnesses.
If other colleagues are being harassed, ask them to log it.
Tell someone you trust - their evidence may help if you take a claim to tribunal.
Tell your doctor if your health is suffering.
Report the harassment to your employer.
Contact your trade union (if you have one).
If an employment service organized your placement, tell them.
In some cases you should contact the police - some forms of sexual harassment are a criminal offence.

Stopping Sexual Harassment

If possible, and if the harassment is not too severe or violent, directly confronting the harasser may be useful. Also, although having protested is not necessary for a claim, it would strongly strengthen a claim.

In Back Off! How To Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers, Martha Langelan recommends taking these steps:

Do the unexpected: Name the behavior. Whatever he's just done, say it, and be specific.
Hold the harasser accountable for his actions. Don't make excuses for him; don't pretend it didn't really happen.
Take charge of the encounter and let people know what he did. Privacy protects harassers, but visibility undermines them.
Make honest, direct statements. Speak the truth (no threats, no insults, no obscenities, no appeasing verbal fluff and padding).
Be serious, straightforward, and blunt.
Demand that the harassment stop.
Make it clear that all women have the right to be free from sexual harassment. Objecting to harassment is a matter of principle.
Stick to your own agenda. Don't respond to the harasser's excuses or diversionary tactics.
His behavior is the issue. Say what you have to say, and repeat it if he persists.
Reinforce your statements with strong, self-respecting body language: eye contact, head up, shoulders back, a strong, serious stance.
Don't smile. Timid, submissive body language will undermine your message.
Respond at the appropriate level. Use a combined verbal and physical response to physical harassment.
End the interaction on your own terms, with a strong closing statement: "You heard me. Stop harassing women."
You may also file an internal complaint through the appropriate avenues offered by the organization's policy on sexual harassment if it has one.
If the victim is a union member, reporting the harassment to the union steward may garner support and secure a potential ally.
Source: http://www.feminist.org