Sexualized Violence

Sexualized violence is an all-encompassing term that includes sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment. The word violence does not only refer to physical violence but includes emotional and psychological harm as well.

Sexual harassment is unwarranted sexual conduct that interferes with the rights guaranteed by The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. It can be verbal, physical or visual.

Most sexual harassment occurs in the workplace. The Code’s provisions against sexual harassment do not rule out office romance, flirtation or good-natured jesting that is accepted by both parties. Sexual harassment refers to unwelcome behaviour that the harasser knew, or should have known, would be unwanted.

Sexual harassment can include:

sexual jokes
touching of non-sexual body parts
comments with sexual overtones
unwanted advances
repeated advances that have been declined in the past
leering or staring
threats related to sex or sexuality
comments about one's body
displaying offensive pictures or photographs

What do I do if I've experienced sexual harassment?

If you have experienced workplace sexual harassment in Saskatchewan, you can receive up to 4 hours of free legal advice via The Shift Project. The incident does not need to have been reported to the police. The program is available to individuals of any age or gender, regardless of income. It doesn’t matter how long ago the incident occurred.

To learn more about sexual harassment in the workplace, or to build you skill set as an employer or employee, visit Enough Already.