Aboriginal women, women of colour, and women in religious minorities may be subjected to combined racial, religious and sexual harassment in the workplace. Women with disabilities are also at risk for multiple workplace harassment. Women are also more subject to other forms of harassment related to their age, family and marital status. In work situations, genderbased abuse of power intertwines with other forms of power abuse. It is important to remember that employers are obligated to prevent all kinds of harassment in the workplace.
Sexual harassment is part of a continuum of violence against women.
It is an attack on a person's self-esteem, integrity, personal security and economic well being. Whether violence takes place in the home, on the street, or in the workplace, the problem needs to be addressed seriously. Those who argue against solving these problems use the same arguments to deny that the problems exist, try to blame women for these problems and sometimes even suggest that accusations are false. In fact, incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault are generally underreported. Like other forms of violence against women, sexual harassment in the workplace hurts, destroys and costs.