What is sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is an unwelcome sexual advance, request of sexual favours or any other unwelcome sexual conduct in circumstances in which the person who is exposed to the conduct feels offended, humiliated, or intimidated. Sexual harassment can include, but is not limited to:

• Displays of sexually graphic materials including posters, cartoons or messages left on noticeboards, desks, or common areas;
• Repeated invitations to develop a closer or intimate relationship after prior refusal;
• Unwelcome and uncalled for remarks or insinuations about a person’s sexual activities, sexual orientation, or private life;
• Comments of a sexually suggestive nature about a person’s appearance or body;
• Sexual or smutty jokes;
• Sexually offensive phone calls;
• Being followed home from University or work;
• Offensive emails and text messages of a sexual nature;
• Offensive hand or body gestures;
• Unwanted physical contact such as putting an arm round another person’s body;
• Unwanted sexual attention using internet, social networking sites and mobile phones;
• Revenge porn;
• Sexual propositions;
• Indecent exposure;
• Pressuring a student or staff member to engage in sexual behaviour for some educational or employment benefit; or
• Making a real or perceived threat that rejecting sexual behaviour will carry a negative consequence for the student in education, accommodation, or University programme or activity.

What is sexual assault?

Sexual assault is any unwanted or forced sexual behaviour committed against a person without their consent. Sexual assault is never the fault of the victim and can take many forms ranging from, but not limited to:

• Unwanted sexual touching;
• Exposure to sexual acts
• Sexual images taken without consent;
• Any form of sexual intercourse without consent;
• Any unwanted sexual act including, and not limited to, use of objects, rubbing of genitals and oral sex.

Sexual assault is a crime in New Zealand. It is a violent crime, and it is not always committed by strangers.

What is consent?

Consent is when two or more people explicitly agree to participate in a sexual act including intercourse, kissing, and touching. Consent to sexual acts is freely given.

What is not consent?

You are unable to consent if you are:

• Asleep, unconscious, or significantly affected by drugs or alcohol;
• Unable to understand what you are consenting to;
• Pressure or coerced to have sex because of threats, force, fear, or harm to yourself or someone else;
• Are affected by an intellectual, mental, or physical condition to such an extent that you cannot consent or refuse;
• Mistaken about who the other person is when you allowed it;
• Under the age of consent which is 16 years in New Zealand.

A person does not consent to sexual activity just because they do not protest or physically resist the activity.

Remember that consent can be withdrawn at any point, including after a sexual activity has begun.

UC’s Sexual Harm website provides details on how to report to UC what had happened and understanding the options you have.

Your report can be about an incident:

• That happened on-campus;
• That occurred recently or historically;
• That involved someone related to UC.

You are in control of how much information you provide. Reporting to UC does not prevent you from also reporting directly to the Police.

UC provides three pathways you can report to UC:

Pathway One:You can make a formal disclosure to UC. This can be done by anyone:

• Who has a personal experience with sexual assault or sexual harassment;
• Who is actively supporting a victim/survivor and has that person’s consent to assist in lodging a formal disclosure;
• Who directly witnessed a sexual assault or sexual harassment;

You can find detailed information on how to lodge a formal disclosure in our Concerns, Complaints and Grievances webpage.

If you are not sure what to do, please contact us here and we can support you.

Pathway Two:You can complete an anonymous report through the Report It Tool. This form can be completed by anyone:

• Who has a personal experience with sexual assault or sexual harassment but does not want to identify themselves;
• Who has received a disclosure but does not have the consent of the victim/survivor to provide identifying information;
• Who is aware that sexual assault/sexual harassment has occurred and wants to inform the ANU for the purposes of data collection.

Report It

Pathway Three: You can speak with an advisor in one of the University’s various support services:

• UC Student Care
• Māori Student Support
• Pasifika Student Support
• Rainbow Student Support

Disclosure to UCSA

If you’re not sure what step to take next, or if you’re not comfortable talking to University staff, you can seek support and/or discuss your options with a UCSA Student Advocate. This service is free and confidential. The UCSA A&W Team has student advocates are professional staff, not current students, and are independent from UC.

Please contact us here and we can assist you.

Sexual assault is a crime, and you have the right to report it to police. You can report sexual assault to your local police station in person or by calling them.

Contacting Police by phone

• Call your nearest Police station and tell the person who answers the phone that you want to report a sexual assault.
• The police will either make an appointment for you to go into the police station or arrange for an office to go to you.
• If your nearest police station is not open 24 hours and you call outside opening hours, there will be a message telling you which other station near you will be open and what number to call.

Contacting Police in person

• Go to your nearest Police station and tell the person on the front counter that you need to speak with a police office in private to make a report.
• You don’t need to make an appointment and you may be able to speak to an officer straight away.
• You can ask to speak with either a male or female office and they will do their best to provide this.
• A Police officer will take brief notes of what has happened to decide what to do next, and make sure you are safe.

Reporting to Police means giving as much information as possible to being a police investigation. You can meet with the police to talk about the reporting process before you decide whether you want to make an official report. There is no time limit on reporting: you can make a report no matter how long ago the incident took place.

Disclosure to UCSA

If you’re not sure what step to take next, or if you’re not comfortable talking to University staff, you can seek support and/or discuss your options with a UCSA Student Advocate. This service is free and confidential. The UCSA A&W Team has student advocates are professional staff, not current students, and are independent from UC.

Please contact us here and we can assist you.

The Cambridge Clinic

If you feel uncomfortable reporting to the Police and you are not sure who to go to for help, you may like to consider getting in touch with the Cambridge Clinic.

The Cambridge Clinic is a specialist medical service, and they can support you, or someone you know who is over the age of 13 years, who have been sexually assaulted or abused, either recently or in the past.

The services provided by the Cambridge Clinic is free.

They are able to provide medical services such as emergency contraception and STI screening and prevention, and they can also provide you with practical and emotional support.

The Cambridge Clinic has caring and specially trained staff who can provide medical and forensic examinations.

They work alongside the Sexual Assault Service Canterbury (SASSC) team who provide 24/7 sexual assault crisis support and ongoing assistance.

At the Cambridge Clinic, you are in control every step of the way.

Cambridge Clinic

SASSC

Aviva’s Sexual Assault Support Service Canterbury (SASSC) provides 24-7 support for you, your family/whanau and friends.

You can call them on (03) 378 3847 or 0800 AVIVA NOW (0800 28482 669) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if you are located in Canterbury.

You can also email them at enquiries@aviva.org.nz. Please note that the email inbox is checked during office hours (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm).

Safe to talk

Safe to talk is a 24/7 sexual harm helpline offering free, confidential contact with trained specialists. They can help connect you to support services in your community, such as the Cambridge Clinic. You can contact them by Phone: 0800 044 334, Text: 4334, Online chat, or Email: support@safetotalk.nz.