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What is it?

Harassment is any unwanted physical or verbal conduct that offends or humiliates you. Such conduct can interfere with your ability to do a job or obtain a service.

Harassment is a type of discrimination. It can take many forms, such as:

• threats, intimidation, or verbal abuse;
• unwelcome remarks or jokes about subjects like your race, religion, disability or age;
• displaying sexist, racist or other offensive pictures or posters;
• sexually suggestive remarks or gestures;
• inappropriate physical contact, such as touching, patting, pinching or punching;
• physical assault, including sexual assault.

Harassment can consist of a single incident or several incidents over a period of time.

Harassment can create a negative or hostile work environment which can interfere with your job performance and result in your being refused a job, a promotion or a training opportunity.

The harasser, who could be of the same or opposite sex as the person harassed, may be a supervisor, a co-worker, or someone providing you with a service, such as a bank officer or a clerk in a government department.

Harassment will be considered to have taken place if a reasonable person ought to have known that the behaviour was unwelcome.