Sexual harassment and the law

Learn about your rights to freedom from sexual harassment, and understand the different forms it can take.

The law makes it clear that sexual harassment is definitely not acceptable. Whilst there is no strict definition of harassment in statute, you have a legal right not to be sexually harassed at work, thanks to the Sex Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful to treat women (or men) less favourably because of their sex.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome behaviour of a sexual nature. It is not about fun or friendship – it’s about the abuse of power. Since there is no single definition, the test is how the recipient feels about the behaviour. The vast majority of complaints of sexual harassment have been by women against men - it has been estimated that 50% of women in employment are affected by such harassment. It doesn’t only happen to women in offices or those employed with large groups of men, but to women in every occupation, of every age group, and from every community. Sexual harassment can take many forms.

Verbal

  • Comments about appearance, body or clothes
  • Indecent remarks
  • Questions or comments about your sex life
  • Requests for sexual favours
  • Sexual demands made by someone of the opposite sex, or by someone of your own sex
  • Promises or threats concerning a person’s employment conditions in return for sexual favours

Non-verbal

  • Looking or staring at a person’s body
  • Display of sexually explicit material such as calendars, pin-ups or magazines

Physical

  • Physically touching, pinching, caressing, kissing or hugging
  • Sexual assault
  • Rape

Sexual assault and some forms of harassment can actually be criminal offences, in which case you could report them to the police.

Your employer may also be liable if you have reported instances of harassment by a work colleague which the employer ignores or fails to act on.

Complied with the help of Women Against Sexual Harassment (WaSH)

Further information

  • Women Against Sexual Harassment (WaSH), 5th Floor The Wheel, 4 Wild Court (off Kingsway), London WC2B 4AU (020 7405 0430)
  • The Equal Opportunities Commission, Head Office, Overseas House, Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HN (0161 833 9244; fax: 835 1657; email). Wales: Windsor House, Windsor Lane, Cardiff CF1 3DE (01222 343552; fax: 641079; email) Scotland: Stock Exchange House, 7 Nelson Mandela Place, Glasgow G2 1QW; email. For equality issues in Northern Ireland contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
  • Your Trade Union
  • Rights of Women, 52 Featherstone Street, London EC1Y 8RT (020 7251 6577)
  • Citizens Advice Bureau – look in Yellow Pages, ask at your local library or call the National Association of Citizen’s Advice Bureaux in England and Wales (020 7833 2181), in Scotland (0131 667 0156) and in Northern Ireland (028 90 231120)
  • Your local law centre – look in Yellow Pages or call the Law Centres Federation (020 7387 8570; Scotland: 0141 561 7266)