What types of behaviour could be harassment?
Sexual harassment can take many forms. For example, any of the following could be sexual harassment: • sexually explicit material that can be viewed at the workplace, or circulated, or put in someone’s workspace or belongings, or on a computer or fax machine; • sexually explicit jokes. There is a difference between harmless humour which may refer to gender, and using a sexist joke to harass someone. If the difference is not clear or if someone is offended, the behaviour should stop immediately; • crude or sexually offensive gestures; • staring or leering in a sexual manner; • sexual or physical contact, such as slapping, kissing or touching; • intrusive questions about sexual activity; • sexual assault (also an offence under the Crimes Act); • unwelcome wolf whistling; or • repeated sexual invitations when the person invited has refused similar invitations before. Who gets harassed? A survey by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 2003 found that 28% of survey responden
