Sexual Harassment: Introduction

Sexual harassment is so commonplace that often we fail to even recognize harassing behavior as wrong. This is because so many of us--women and men alike--have become desensitized to offensive behaviors. Sexual harassment in any form is unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated by anyone. It undermines our ability to study, to work, and to feel like effective, empowered people in the world.

The University of Virginia defines sexual harassment as:

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct or written communications of a sexual nature when:

Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or educational experience;
Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for employment or academic decisions affecting such individual; or
Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work, academic performance, or participation in extracurricular activities, or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment.