Selfridge Community Service

Sexual Assault or Harassment?

Sexual assault and sexual harassment are not the same, although they are related to each other. 

Sexual Harassment is a form of gender discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.  

There are two types of sexual harassment:

• Quid Pro Quo sexual harassment refers to conditions placed on a person’s career or terms of employment in return for sexual favors.  It involves threats of adverse actions if the victim does not submit or promises of favorable actions if the person does submit.

• Hostile Environment sexual harassment occurs when a person is subjected to offensive, unwanted, and unsolicited comments and behavior of a sexual nature that interferes with that person’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

 Sexual Assault refers specifically to rape, forcible sodomy, indecent assault, or carnal knowledge as defined by the UCMJ.

 Sexual assault must involve physical contact.  While sexual harassment can involve physical contact, it can also refer to verbal or other forms of gender discrimination of a sexual nature.  Sexual assault is a crime punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

 Source: www.sexualassault.army.mil