What To Do If You Are Being Sexually Harassed

• Trust yourself.
  
  
• Know that you have the right to refuse sexual harassment and that you do not have to accept it.
  
  
• Get support from someone and/or and organization you can trust.
  
  
• Prepare a file of the harassment including the following information:
  
  
  1. the offender's name;
     
     
  2. the offender's address and occupation;
     
     
  3. the dates and addresses of the incidents;
     
     
  4. a brief description of each incident. Include gestures, remarks, propositions, threats, touches, any negative results of the harassment - loss of jobs, bad grades, emotional trauma;
     
     
  5. the names of witnesses if applicable.

Legal Options

• Send a letter, through a lawyer, telling the offender to stop.
  
  
• Make a criminal complaint for sexual assault (if any nonconsensual physical touching occurred).
  
  
• Call the Ontario Human Rights Commission and lay a complaint.

(Adapted from The Montreal Sexual Assault Centre, Training Manual).