Consent and How It Relates to Harassment

...

nobody is ever obligated to give consent just because they have done so in the past. A person can decide to stop a sexual activity at any time, even though they might have agreed to it earlier. Above all, everyone has a exclusive right to their own body as well as to feel comfortable with how they use it, no matter what has happened in the past.

If a person continues to partake in any sexual activity without any type of consent, is it known as sexual harassment. Harassment by definition is involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or obscene remarks to someone who does not give consent. Sexual harassment can happen anywhere, whether it be in a workplace, or any other professional or social situation. The victim as well as the harasser may be a woman or a man. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. Harassment does not always have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex.

It is also harassment if someone was to harass a person by making offensive comments about their gender in general. This type of harassment is known as verbal harassment.Verbal harassment is known as a negative defining statement told to the victim or about the victim, or withholding any response, thereby defining the target as if they did not exist. Name calling and swearing to someone is a major part of this type of harassment. Anyone can experience verbal abuse. Typically, in relationships, verbal abuse increases in intensity and frequency over time. To maintain a great relationship, you need to realize that your partner is also a person, with problems and emotions.

In conclusion, consent is a mutual and voluntary agreement to do a specific act, whether it be normal or sexual. Learning how to talk about consent with your partner minimizes the risk of unwanted sexual contact, as well as the risk of committing sexual assault or harassment. There are many ways to tell whether or not a person has consent. It is also very finite to tell if someone has committed sexual assault. If anybody you know has experienced sexual assault, or any type of harassment, it is best to convince them to tell the proper authorities which could be a staff member at school, or if need be the police.