Sexual Harassment. Unwanted verbal or physical behavior that’s based on a person’s gender and can make someone feel upset, scared, offended, or humiliated. It can include:
- Unwelcome sexual advances
- Requests for sexual favors
- Unwanted touching
- Offensive gestures or comments
- Asking about a person’s sex life
- Sexualized remarks about a person’s appearance
- Sexualizing the work environment
- Telling sexual jokes
- Unwanted letters, telephone calls, or materials of a sexual nature
Sexual harassment is a type of sexual violence, which includes any sexual activity or act that happened without consent. In the United States, it’s unlawful to harass a person because of their sex, and violators can be held accountable with civil penalties. In New York State, employers must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees each year.