The POSH Act, 2013 states that ‘sexual harassment’ is any unwelcome sexual behavior, whether directly expressed or implied, and includes the cases of physical contact and advances, or a sexual favor demanded or requested, or making remarks with sexual overtones, or showing pornography or other offensive material, or acting in an unwelcome sexual manner through physical, verbal, or non-verbal means. It can also include:
- an assurance of special treatment at work;
- an express or implicit threat of unfavorable treatment at work; (any kind of physical contact without consent like touching them try to go close them, offensive comments, controlling a person’s reputation by rumor-mongering about her private life).
- An implication or outright threat about someone’s job, either now or in the future; or
- interfering with work or fostering a hostile, insulting, or intimidating work environment (creating an unsafe environment like always staring them, shouting without reason, stalking).
Unwelcome behavior can be recognized through relations in which one feels bad, one-sided, feels powerless, power-based, unwanted, illegal, invading, demeaning, causes anger/sadness, causes negative self-esteem. Welcome behavior, on the other hand, includes relations where one feels good, reciprocal relations, equality, wanted activities, happy and causes positive self-esteem.
