What is harassment?

Harassment is conduct directed at a person because of a person’s identity that is unwelcome and sufficiently severe, persistent, or so pervasive that it creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work or learning environment, and interferes with an individual’s work or academic performance. Harassment can happen in person or online.

Harassers can be students, co-workers, supervisors, current or former intimate partners, family members, acquaintances or strangers

Harassment  affects people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, social classes, ages, and abilities.

What is sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual harassment can include gender discrimination, which are actions that convey hostility, exclusion, or second-class status about members of a gender.

Sexual harassers can be students, co-workers, supervisors, current or former intimate partners, family members, acquaintances or strangers

Sexual harassment affect people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, social classes, ages, and abilities.

Know the signs

Individuals who are being harassed may:

• Look uncomfortable or anxious in the company of another individual
• Avoid being alone or placed on academic or work assignments with another individual
• Ask for a sudden change in classroom or workplace setting
• Suddenly change their social media usage or online visibility

Harassers may:

• Not respect others boundaries or asks intrusive personal questions
• Make unwanted comments of a sexual nature
• Make offensive comments about someone’s sex or gender
• Not respect personal space
• Touch others in an unwelcome and intimate way
• Create fake online accounts to harass others

Online harassment and safety tips

There are many kinds of online harassment out there, from the annoying (rude comments made by online trolls) to the invasive (doxing) to the potentially dangerous and traumatic (cyberstalking, threats of violence, and everything in-between.) No matter your online presence or actions it is never your fault if you are the target of online harassment.  

If you are experiencing online behaviors that raise safety concerns reach out to consult about options for your situation.

Prepare

• Develop a strategy for how to interact and what you want to share online
• Make informed decisions about the privacy of your identity, location, affiliations and actions.
• Review what information is available about you online.
• Be aware of the open aspects of online groups, forums and comment sections.

Privacy

• Review and consider modifying privacy preferences on devices, browsers and apps.
• Verify that privacy settings align with your privacy strategy.
• Control who can view your profile, contact information and posts.
• Review tagging capabilities on social media platforms
• Limit location services to the apps and friends you want to track you.

Security

• Password lock all devices
• Secure confidential and personal information on devices.
• Utilize 2-step authentication for accounts
• Review good password practices; don’t reuse passwords for different accounts.
• Remember: Data sent over public wireless networks, as well as information on public computers and kiosks, may be accessed by others.

Supporting a friend of colleague

Many individuals turn to someone they trust when they need support. Your response when a friend or colleague shares with you that they are being harassed may impact whether they feel supported and choose to seek additional help. Please consider taking these steps when someone discloses to you:

• Validate: Believe them and thank them for sharing with you.
• Listen: Ask how you can help.
• Connect: Share with them that there are resources on campus to support them.
• Consult: Call SafeCampus to determine options or share any safety concerns.
• Self-care: Take care of yourself and be aware of your own feelings.

Sexual harassment and Title IX

• If you have experienced sexual harassment, learn more about Title IX and additional campus resources, such as Confidential Advocates, by visiting the UW Sexual Assault Resources Page.
• If you are a UW student employee, staff or faculty member who has received a disclosure, visit our Title IX Response and Support Protocol page to learn what to do next.