What is harassment and sexual misconduct?

<p dir="ltr">Section 26 of the Equality Act summarises:</p> <p dir="ltr">"<em>Harassment, including sexual harassment, includes unwanted behaviour or conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment because of, or connected to, one or more of the following protected characteristics: </em><strong><em>age; disability; gender reassignment; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation</em></strong><em>."</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Furthermore, Section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 summarises:</p> <p dir="ltr">"<em>a course of conduct conducted on at least two occasions that harasses one other person, or a course of conduct that harasses two or more persons at least once each. References to harassing a person include alarming the person or causing the person distress."</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The Office for Students (OfS) has also extended these definitions to include harassment of one student by another student. These definitions include tests that are designed to establish, objectively and reasonably, whether conduct could be considered as 'harassment'. This means providers such as ourselves should take into account:<br /></p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">the perception of the person who is at the receiving end of the conduct</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">the other circumstances of the case</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">whether it is reasonable for the conduct to have the effect under scrutiny.</p></li></ul> <p dir="ltr">Under section 1 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, an offence is committed only if:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">the person knows the conduct amounts to harassment of the other, or</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">a reasonable person in possession of the same information would think the course of conduct amounted to harassment of the other person.</p></li></ul> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Stalking </strong>(from<a href="https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/beta-stalking-and-harassment/what-is-stalking-harassment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> www.police.uk</a>).</p> <p dir="ltr">Stalking is a form of harassment, but more aggressive. </p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">the stalker will have an obsession with the person they're targeting</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">it could be someone you know, ex-partner or friend or might be a stranger</p></li><li dir="ltr">stalking may include:<ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">regularly following someone</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">repeatedly going uninvited to their home</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">checking someone’s internet use, email or other electronic communication</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">hanging around somewhere they know the person often visits</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">interfering with their property</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">watching or spying on someone</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">identity theft (signing-up to services, buying things in someone's name)</p></li></ul></li></ul> <p>Behaviour can be regarded as stalking if the unwanted behaviour has happened more than once. The <strong>FOUR</strong> warning signs of stalking are if the behaviour you're experiencing is:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>F</strong>ixated - <strong>O</strong>bsessive - <strong>U</strong>nwanted - <strong>R</strong>epeated</p></li></ul> <p dir="ltr">Social networking sites, chat rooms, gaming sites and other forums are used to stalk and harass someone, for example:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">to get personal information</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">to communicate (calls, texts, emails, social media, creating fake accounts) </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">damaging the reputation</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">spamming and sending viruses </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">tricking other internet users into harassing or threatening</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">identity theft </p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">threats to share private information, photographs, copies of messages.</p></li></ul>

<p dir="ltr">The OfS defines sexual misconduct as any unwanted or attempted unwanted conduct of a sexual nature. This includes, but is not limited to:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">sexual harassment (as defined by <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/26" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Section 26(2) Equality Act 2010</a>)</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">sexual assault (as defined by <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/section/3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sexual Offences Act 2003</a>); and</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">rape (as defined by <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/section/3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sexual Offences Act 2003</a>).</p></li></ul> <p dir="ltr">In addition, the following may also be considered as sexual misconduct:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Physical unwanted sexual advances as set out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Sexual harassment and the law, 2017.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Intimidation or promising resources or benefits in return for sexual favours as set out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Sexual harassment and the law, 2017.</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Distributing private and personal explicit images or video footage of an individual without their consent as defined by the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/2/section/33" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015</a>.</p></li></ul> <p>Voyeurism - two offences were included into the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/42/section/67A" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sexual Offences Act 2003, s 67(a)</a>, both relating to 'upskirting' (recording of an image (or operate equipment) beneath the clothing of another person (without that person’s consent or a reasonable belief in their consent) that is of the person’s genitals, buttocks or underwear and this is done in circumstances where another person will look at the image for sexual gratification or to cause humiliation, distress or alarm.</p>