Humber's Sexual Assault and Sexual Violence Policy outlines the responsibility of Humber community members to prevent and respond to sexual violence. It is important that all students, staff and faculty familiarize themselves with the Sexual Assault and Sexual Violence Policy and Procedures which can be accessed here: humber.ca/policies/sexual-assault-and-sexual-violence-policy

What is Sexual Harassment?

Sexual harassment: Sexual Harassment is a form of sexual violence prohibited by the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). Sexual harassment is defined as a course of vexatious comment or conduct based on an individual’s sex and/or gender that is known or ought to be known as unwelcome. Under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), workplace harassment has been expanded to include sexual harassment:

• Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (including transgender) or gender expression, where the course of comments or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome, or
• Making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the worker and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.   

Gender-based harassment is a subset of sexual harassment and prohibited by the Code. It refers to behaviours that regulate and reinforce traditional heterosexual gender norms.

Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Any deliberate and unsolicited sexual comment, the use of overt sexual language, suggestion or physical contact that creates an uncomfortable learning/working environment for the recipient and is made by a person who knows or ought reasonably to know that such action is unwelcome;
• A sexual advance or solicitation made by a person to another, where the person making the advance or solicitation knows or ought reasonably to know that it is unwelcome;
• A reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal or threat is made by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the other person;
• Unwelcome remarks, jokes, sexual innuendoes or taunting about a person's body, attire, sex, personal or social life;
• Practical jokes of a sexual nature which cause awkwardness or embarrassment;
• Display and/or distribution of pornographic pictures or other offensive material of a sexual nature, including audio or visual images of an individual through technological devices, equipment and services provided by Humber or other service providers;
• Unwanted and unnecessary physical contact such as touching, patting or pinching;
• Expressions of gender bias which may include remarks that are discriminatory, degrading or derogatory and create a poisoned work environment;
• Requests for sexual favours; and/or
• Sexual assault.

Please note that the behaviours and actions described above are not an exhaustive list of examples of sexual harassment.

If you would like to make a formal report of having experienced sexual assault and sexual violence, call:

• Department of Public Safety at 416.675.6622 x8500
• Director, Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Diversity at 416.675.6622 x4425