What is harassment and sexual misconduct

Harassment and Sexual Misconduct are defined in the University’s code of conduct and Sexual Misconduct Policy which can be found here: Rules, Regulations and Procedures for Students

Definition of Harassment

Harassment is unwanted behaviour which violates a person’s dignity, or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

Harassment may be because of, or connected to, one or more of the following protected characteristics:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• race
• religion or belief
• sex and sexual orientation.

Harassment is often persistent, although a single incident may be serious enough to constitute it.

Harassment can take the form of physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct and so can include social media communications, telephone communications, filming or taking pictures of people and/or using these without their knowledge or consent.

Harassment could encompass acts of stalking which means causing harassment by stalking them, for example by:

• following them (stalking) or by
• persistent and unwanted attention or attempts at communication
• sending unwanted gifts
• attending their place of home uninvited
• waiting for them or loitering
• monitoring or `spying' on them.

A non exhaustive list of other examples of harassment include:

• unwanted physical conduct or ‘horseplay’ including touching pinching, pushing, grabbing, brushing past someone, invading their personal space and more serious forms of physical or sexual assault;
• offensive or intimidating comments or gestures, or insensitive jokes or pranks;
• mocking, mimicking, or belittling a person’s disability;
• racist, sexist, homophobic or ageist jokes, or derogatory or stereotypical remarks about an ethnic or religious group or sex;
• outing or threatening to out someone as gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans;
• ignoring or shunning someone, for example, by deliberately excluding them from a conversation or a social activity.

In deciding what harassment is, it is the perception of the recipient of the behaviour that is important alongside consideration of whether it was known or should have reasonably been known that the conduct would have the effect of being harassing.

Definition of Sexual Misconduct

Sexual misconduct is a term used by the University to describe any unwanted or attempted unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. We recognise that students might use a variety of terms relating to sexual violence that they may be familiar with, for example rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment.

Sexual Misconduct can include, but is not limited to:

• Engaging or attempting to engage in a sexual act without consent.
• Sexual acts are deemed to be acts of a sexual nature including (but is not limited to) intercourse, kissing, inappropriate showing of sexual organs, touching through clothes, taking, recording or sharing intimate images or video without the persons consent. This includes images or videos that have been digitally altered.
• ‘Sexual Harassment’ - unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for others, which includes making unwanted remarks of a sexual nature.

How can I find out more?

You can look on our Report + Support platform for more information about Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.

Our Rules, Regulation and Procedure for Students provide information about the policies and procedures that apply.

You can find more information about sexual misconduct on our sexual violence support page.

More information about support for Harassment and Sexual Misconduct and your reporting options.