Any form of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment is never okay.
Sexual Misconduct We define sexual misconduct as any act of violence or harassment which is sexual in nature or any kind of unwanted, non-consensual engagement or harassment within or outside a relationship. It covers behaviours such as grooming, coercion, the promise of a reward for sexual access and sexual demands or threats. It often arises where there is an imbalance of power in a relationship, and it violates the principle that the parties involved have given informed consent to behaviours. It may constitute a series of different behaviours, repeated forms of the same unwanted behaviour or a one-off incident and can occur in person, or by letter, telephone, text, email and/or other electronic or social media platforms and includes, but is not limited to, the following behaviour:
- Sexually explicit remarks, innuendos, or banter
- Unwanted or inappropriate physical contact
- Engaging in a sexual act/or sexual intercourse without consent
- Unwanted requests to engage in, attempt to engage in or discuss sexual activity
- Conduct of a sexual nature which creates (or could create) an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for others.
- Recording and/or sharing intimate images or recordings of another person without informed consent
- Inappropriate showing of sexual organs to another person, including by electronic means
- Intrusive questions around a person’s private/sex life or a person discussing their own sex life
- Basing decisions affecting a person’s career, or future, on their acceptance or rejection of sexual advances
- Domestic abuse and coercive or controlling behaviour – any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence, or abuse between those who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality. This can include, but is not limited to psychological, physical, sexual, financial and/or emotional abuse.
- Stalking
- Complicity- any act that knowingly helps, promotes, or encourages any form of sexual misconduct and violence by another individual
- Retaliation – may constitute any words or actions, including intimidation, threats, or coercion made in response to disclosures or reports made under the Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy by any individual. This includes both the Responding Party and the Reporting Party, as well as witnesses, friends, or relatives.
Consent
Consent is agreeing by choice and having the freedom and capacity to make that choice.
A person is free to make a choice if nothing bad would happen to them if they said no.
Capacity is about whether someone is physically and/or mentally able to make a choice and to understand the consequences of that choice.
If you think you have been the target of sexual misconduct, assault or harassment, it may be hard to know what to do or how to feel. What happened was not your fault. What you do next is your choice.
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I think I have experienced sexual misconduct and/or assault.
I think someone I know has experienced sexual misconduct and/or assault.