Sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex are unlawful and unacceptable within the University. The University acknowledges its responsibility to ensure that staff, students and members of the university community are made aware of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour within the University and that all managers and supervisors are aware of their responsibility for ensuring the maintenance of proper standards of conduct within the University. The University recognises also its responsibility to take prompt and effective action to deal with complaints of sexual and gender-based harassment and to ensure that all people involved in the complaint, including the complainant, the person complained about and witnesses are treated fairly. The University will do everything in its power to ensure that people are not victimised in any way.
Harassment is a form of discrimination.
Similarly, the University will not tolerate harassment of staff by students nor harassment by staff or students of visitors or members of the public whilst engaged in University activities. Behaviour that is regarded as harmless, trivial or a joke may constitute sexual or gender-based harassment, where personally offensive, humiliating or distressing to the recipient. Sexual harassment Sexual harassment is any form of offensive sexual attention that is uninvited and unwelcomed. It can be a single incident or a persistent pattern of unwelcomed behaviour and it should be noted that the distress can be the same whether the conduct is intentional or unintentional. Although a majority of complaints of sexual harassment come from women, sexual harassment is not confined to any gender or sexuality.