Sexual Harrasment

Sexual harassment is an unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favors or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and intimidated, where a reasonable person would anticipate that reaction in the circumstances. (Sapac.umich.edu, 2015)

Conduct of a sexual nature includes a range of behaviors or actions, since there is a very wide range of activities which are expressions of sexuality or have sexual connotations in our society. The conduct of a sexual nature has divided into three part which are verbal, visual and physical. In verbal include comments about clothing, suggestive comments or jokes, insults or taunts based on sex, staring or leering, unwanted invitations to go out on dates, requests for sex, intrusive questions about a person's private life or body, threats, foul and obscene language. Visual sexually harassing behavior include sexually explicit pictures, drawings or posters and sexually explicit emails or SMS text messages. Besides, the sexually harassing behavior in physical are included impeding or blocking movement, sexually explicit physical contact such as kissing, hugging, patting, stroking or rubbing, sexual gesturing and so on. (Humanrights.gov.au, 2015)

Conduct that is based on the person’s sex means that the behavior relates specifically to the sex of the individuals involved in the incident. In other words, the offensive behavior references the victim’s sex or the behavior occurs because of the sex of the intended victim. (Www1.umn.edu, 2003)

The video that I found in YOUTUBE is showing the issue about sexual harassment in the workplace. We can get it that the male director is creating problem to the female staff. The director is asking for the report but the female staff still not finished it on time and she ask for extend the deadline for few more hours. The director do not accept the request from the female staff for extend the deadline. However, the director after ask for work something out. He invites the female staff for dinner but the staff do not accept it because the director is her boss and he was married. The director also mention it clearly if she do not want to have dinner with him, she will be fired. The staff tell him, it is sexual harassment, but he said he did not touch her so it is not sexual harassment. In the end, the staff has been fired and she sued the director.

Through the video, we know that the director keep asking the female staff go out for dinner. In fact, the action can be conduct as one of the sexually harassing behavior although he is not touch the staff or request for sex. In order to qualify as sexual harassment the behavior must be deliberate or repeated. However, some forms of sexual behavior are so offensive