Sexual harassment is unwanted and unwelcome words, conduct, or behaviour of a sexual nature that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, embarrassing, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the recipient. It is a misuse of personal or institutional power and often based on a person’s gender, although it is rarely about sexual desire.

Whether or not the harasser intended to be offensive is irrelevant. The limit of acceptable behaviour is up to the recipient to decide. A single incident or persistent behaviour can amount to harassment.

Sexual harassment can include, but is not limited to:

  • catcalling
  • following
  • making unnecessary and unwanted physical contact
  • sexual jokes and comments
  • giving unwelcome personal gifts
  • wolf-whistling
  • leering
  • derogatory comments
  • unwelcome comments about a person’s body or clothing
  • asking unwelcome questions about a person’s sex life and/or sexuality
  • engaging in unwelcome sexual propositions
  • invitations and flirtation
  • making somebody feel uncomfortable through displaying or sharing sexual material

Sexual harassment does not necessarily occur face-to-face – it can be in the form of emails, visual images (such as sexually explicit pictures on walls in a shared environment), social media, phone, text messages, and image-based sexual abuse such as revenge porn and upskirting.

Sexual harassment is a criminal offence and contrary to the University's Disciplinary Regulations.

There are two ways you can tell us what happened