| Sexual harassment is a violation of women's human rights and a prohibited form of violence against women in many countries. Sexually harassing conduct causes devastating physical and psychological injuries to a large percentage of women in workplaces around the world. Harassment directed against women in the workplace by their supervisors, fellow employees or third parties interferes with the integration of women in the workforce, reinforces the subordination of women to men in society, violates women's dignity and creates a health and safety hazard at work.
Women's advocates in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union(CEE/FSU) and around the world work to further women's human right to be free from sexual harassment in a variety of ways. Advocates work to provide necessary services to victims of sexual harassment, including counseling referrals, legal advice, and hotlines. Together with members of the legal community, they have worked to draft legislation which prohibits various forms of sexual harassment, requires employers to take action to prevent sexual harassment and establishes governmental agencies to monitor employer practices and enforce sexual harassment law. Critical to these efforts to combat sexual harassment has been the growing recognition of sexual harassment as a form of violence against women which violates women's human rights. States are obligated under international law to take effective steps to protect women from violence and to hold harassers and/or their employers accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace.
Explore the Issue
This section of the site allows users to increase their understanding of sexual harassment in the workplace through a discussion of the definition of sexual harassment, theories of sexual harassment, the prevalence of the problem, the effects of sexual harassment, and strategies for preventing sexual harassment and protecting victims.
Research and Reports
This section of the site provides links to selected web-based materials on the sexual harassment topics covered in Explore the Issue.
Law and Policy
This section of the site contains information on States' international legal obligations under both the United Nations and the European human rights systems to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This section also provides a discussion of various approaches to drafting legislation which addresses sexual harassment.
Training Materials
This section offers sample training materials on sexual harassment in the workplace. These materials are designed to provide advocates with basic training tools that can be adapted based on country-specific circumstances, the goals of the training program and the training audience. It is recommended that advocates use the training materials on sexual harassment in conjunction with the more general Guidelines for Developing a Training Program that introduce a methodology for conducting training for the general public as well as individuals and organizations involved in addressing violence against women. | 