Crime Info & Support

Sexual Harassment

An advocate with the USF Center for Victim Advocacy is a professional who is trained to respond with compassion and expertise to the victims of crime, violence and abuse. This includes crisis intervention, advocacy and accompaniment, and nonjudgmental support to victims to help them get through the experience and regain control of their lives. If you are experiencing sexual harassment, an advocate can explore options for reporting, safety planning, and advocacy as needed.  

SEXUAL HARASSMENT 

Source: US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 

"Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment."

Sexual harassment can occur in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to the following:

• The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex.
• The harasser can be the victim's supervisor, an agent of the employer, a supervisor in another area, a co-worker, or a non-employee.
• The victim does not have to be the person harassed but could be anyone affected by the offensive conduct.
• Unlawful sexual harassment may occur without economic injury to or discharge of the victim.
• The harasser's conduct must be unwelcome.
• The defining characteristic of sexual harassment is that it is unwanted.

Not sure what to do? Contact the Center for Victim Advocacy  24/7 at (813) 974-5757 to confidentially explore your options.