Harassment
Harassment occurs when someone engages in unwanted conduct that:
- violates someone else's dignity
- creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment
Unlawful harassment may involve conduct of a sexual nature (sexual harassment). It may also relate to:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marital or civil partner status
- pregnancy or maternity
- race (colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin)
- religion or belief
- sex, sexual orientation or identity
It is essential to understand that:
- a single, serious incident may amount to harassment
- a person may experience harassment even if not the intended 'target' of the behaviour in question. For example, racist jokes create an offensive environment. People do not need to belong to an ethnic group for racist jokes to be harassment.
- a person need not possess a relevant protected characteristic themselves. The may experience harassment due to:
- their association with another person who has a protected characteristic
- a perception that they have a protected characteristic, even if that perception is wrong
- a person's conduct might amount to harassment even if there was no intention to offend
Examples of harassment
Harassment may be physical, verbal or non-verbal. Examples of harassment may include but are not limited to:
- unwanted physical contact, ranging from touching to serious sexual or physical assault. Invading someone's personal space may amount to harassment
- verbal conduct, such as:
- sexist, racist, ageist or homophobic comments
- derogatory remarks about an individual or group with a protected characteristic
- offensive slogans, insults or comments of a personal nature
- suggestive remarks and innuendo
- nicknames, inappropriate 'banter', jokes or language
- unwanted non-verbal conduct, including:
- sexually-suggestive behaviour and gestures
- staring and leering
- other unwanted sexual attention or advances
- the display, storage or circulation of offensive material. This includes information held on or accessed by computer
- conduct that threatens, ridicules, intimidates, abuses, undermines or undervalues an individual. This includes:
- derogatory or degrading remarks or insults
- offensive comments about appearance or dress
- spreading malicious rumours
- open aggression, obscenities, uncontrolled anger
- belittling in front of others, persistent criticism or sarcasm
- suggestions that sexual favours may result in career advancement or another benefit. Or, that refusal of such suggestions may result in some form of detriment
- unfair treatment, which may include deliberately excluding someone from social activities because:
- they have a protected characteristic
- are perceived to have a protected characteristic
- associate with a person who has a protected characteristic