What is sexual harassment?
The Ontario Human Rights Code defines sexual harassment as “engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought to be known to be unwelcome”. Sexual harassment can poison the work environment for both victims and their colleagues. Some examples of behaviour that constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
- Making comments about a person’s appearance that are sexual in nature, either to their face or behind their back (e.g. to others through email)
- Repeatedly asking for dates despite already having been told “no”
- Insisting on unwanted physical touching, such as hugs
- Sending or sharing sexually explicit images
- Making sexual jokes
- Asking for or demanding sexual favours
- Making threats to penalize someone who does not comply with sexual advances
What is sexual assault?
The Criminal Code defines sexual assault as an assault that is committed in circumstances of a sexual nature, such that the sexual integrity of the victim is violated. Sexual assault can look like many different things, and does not depend solely on contact with any particular body part.
The Queen’s Film & TV Research Group are not lawyers, and this is not legal advice! For more information on labour and employment law, please see the Labour & Employment Law section of this site. Find out more about Queen’s Law on their website, and Pro Bono Queen’s at the PBSC Queen’s site.