Understanding the definitions of harassment and sexual misconduct is essential for fostering a respectful and safe learning environment. This glossary helps clarify important terms, empowering students to recognise inappropriate behaviour, seek support, and contribute to a culture of accountability and inclusion in the centre.
Consent is agreement by choice and having the freedom and capacity to make that choice. Consent must be voluntary, explicit, and obtained prior to any and all sexual activity. consenting to sexual activity with an individual in the past does not mean you automatically consent to any future sexual activity.
Sexual misconduct is an umbrella term to describe any unwanted behaviour that is of a sexual nature without the consent of the person. This includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, sexual violence, unwanted sexual advances, and coercion.
Sexual harassment is any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that violates dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or offensive environment.
Sexual exploitation occurs when a person takes non-consensual or unfair sexual advantage of another for their own advantage or benefit, or to benefit someone other than the one being exploited.
Bullying is defined as repeated behaviour intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally. It is often aimed at certain groups, for example because of race, religion, gender or sexual. Harassment on grounds of gender (including gender re-assignment), race, religion or belief, political opinion, disability, sexual orientation, discrimination against an individual in the way they are treated in relation to the provision of services (including teaching and supervision, assessment, progression and award and support services)
Many forms of behaviour can constitute bullying and/or harassment; for example:
Harassment through offensive language or insults
Sending offensive material via email, text messages or any other medium.
Inappropriate touching or assaults.
Intimidating behaviour or threats.
Stalking is defined as where an individual becomes excessively obsessed with another, and starts a relentless campaign of following and intimidation, for no reason other than their need to be close to their victim, to gain revenge for their rejection, or avenge a “wrong” they believe was caused to them. Their sole focus is to ‘own’ or destroy the person they are obsessed with.
Stalking is an obsessive fixation which is powered and renewed with continuous, unwanted contact attempts to their target, using texts, emails, letters, social media, door calling, “drive-bys”, following, suddenly appearing in shops, or visiting places of work. When these attempts to gain contact from the victims fail, it can develop into even more serious behaviours, such as blackmail or death threats, suicide threats, malicious defamation of the victims’ character, and/or violence.
Cyberstalking is another form of stalking in which a person engages in a course of conduct using the Internet, e-mail, or other electronic communications devices to pursue or track another person in a way that would cause fear for the victim’s own safety, the safety of others; or to suffer substantial emotional distress.
Domestic abuse can be broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviours by a partner in a relationship, or a family member. Domestic abuse can manifest in several ways, for example assault or threats, sexual violence, verbal or emotional abuse as well as Threatening or controlling behaviour.
Domestic abuse is recognised as a pattern of behaviour which is characterised by the exercise of coercive control and misuse of power by one person over another. The behaviour is usually frequent and persistent and used to harm, punish or frighten the other person. This coercive control can also be covert in nature by a partner expressing negative opinions about a partner’s looks, their choice of friends or their derogatory remarks about their family etc.
Online abuse can take various forms such as cyberbullying, trolling on social media, online blackmail (including sextortion) and the posting of private material without consent. Similarly to bullying and harassment there are various laws which defines these actions as illegal.
Online abuse can happen through various mediums such as gaming, texts, social networking platforms or revenge pornography. Revenge pornography is the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress. Other forms of illegal online activity can involve the downloading and distribution of indecent images. If you receive an image or video which you believe is illegal, the advice from Police is to not send it to anyone but to save it and report the matter to Police.
Advice to keep safe online suggests using multi character passwords, encrypting personal information that you are sharing and updating privacy settings on a regular basis. If you receive online abuse, please keep a record of the event and report it.
A hate crime is any incident or crime which the victim believes is because of their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religious or political beliefs. This includes incidents of bigoted dislike or hatred of members of a different religious or political group. A hate crime can take the form of physical, verbal or written abuse.
Honour-based violence can be described as a collection of practices, which are used to control behaviour within families or other social groups to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour. Such violence can occur when perpetrators perceive that a relative has ‘shamed’ the family and/or community by acting in a way seen to subvert cultural or community expectations. Honour-based violence can take many forms including forced marriage, pressure to return to a home country, house ‘arrest’ and restriction of movement within and outside the home, excessive restrictions on home life i.e. not being allowed a phone, to use internet or develop friendships outside of wider family / friend’s circle etc.