Social Sustainability
Sexual Harassment
Definition
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature — physical, verbal or non-verbal — that has the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It is prohibited as sex discrimination in employment law worldwide and is addressed by ILO Convention No. 190 (2019), the first international treaty recognising the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.
References
Source imported for editorial provenance.
This reference provides supporting context for how “Sexual Harassment” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures employment law compliance, workplace policies, ILO C190 ratification and implementation, social audit protocols and ESG human capital assessment.
Why it matters
Sexual harassment is both a rights violation and a barrier to women's economic participation; its prevalence is a measurable indicator of whether decent work is real.