If the perpetrator has been told that the behaviour is offensive, then the line has definitely been crossed. Sexual assault is any unwanted act of a sexual nature imposed by one person upon another. The use or threat of force without consent is the criterion Stamp uses to distinguish sexual assault from sexual harassment. Sexual assault is a crime under the Criminal Code, explains Stamp. The law concerns itself with the knowledge that consent has not been given.
Sexual assault includes unwanted fondling, forced kissing and forced intercourse.
It is difficult to determine how often sexual harassment and sexual assault occur on campus. This crime is very underreported, says Len Paris, Manager of UTM Campus Police. Studies reveal that only 1 in 10 sexual assaults in Canada are reported to police, but I believe that the actual number is even less than 1 in 10. In 1999, one sexual assault and twenty-two cases of criminal harassment were reported to the Erindale Campus Police. Stalking is an example of such a crime.