Harassment - An Introduction

An offensive behavior which has some kind of bad effect on the person with whom it is done is called harassment. In legal language, harassment means an act or behavior which is quite disturbing and threatening to break the fabrications of a society. It can take a number of forms, but in general it is understood as offensive behavior by a person or a group of persons who violate the dignity of another person.

Harassment is intimidating, degrading, or is hostile and humiliating for a person in a particular situation. It is very important to report matters of harassment, so that it doesn't happen in future and others too don't become victims of the offenders. Harassment can happen in any place whether in an office, public place, private place, or any other location. The federal government has laws to investigate such matters and punish the offenders if found guilty.

Harassment can take different forms and the nature and behavior in each case may be different. Let us have a look at the various kinds of harassments.

Bullying: This is a physical or mental harassment that takes place especially in playgrounds, schools, or in a workplace between two or more individuals. This behavior is perpetrated by the offender/s against an individual or group of individuals. Foul words and physical tortures can take place in bullying.

Humiliation/psychological harassment: An abusive behavior to lower the self esteem of a person in a workplace or some event. It can take place in the form of appeals, gestures, or verbal abuses. The humiliation has a psychological impact on the individual which may prompt him/her to act in a negative manner.

Racial Harassment: Under this category, individuals of a particular race or community or ethnicity are harassed by words, physical harm, deeds, gestures, or some other kind of unjustified actions. They are targeted due to their race, color, or customs.

Sexual harassment: This harassment can happen anywhere. Complaints of such harassment are very common in workplaces, homes, colleges, and other places. Sexual harassment can be faced by any sex. It is conducted with unwanted moves, rubbing or touching, gestures with sexual desires, words, deeds, demanding sexual favors by seniors and other actions that make the victim uncomfortable by such acts. Child abuse, sexual orientation, and harassment fall under this category.

Stalking: Following a person or trespassing into the private territory of an individual by another person by any means such as web cams, still or video cameras, simply surveillance to the extent that the safety of the victim is intruded is a crime and harassment.

Religious harassment: Physical harm to a person or psychological or verbal abuse of a person particularly, because of his religion is an offense, as per federal law and the convict can be punished surely for his act.

Police Harassment: Any unfair treatment of a person by law officials using force, threats, profiling, or coercion is tantamount to harassment.

According to law there are other forms of harassment too. Anybody can be harassed by anyone. For this reason, one must be well aware of the laws of harassment. It will help them fight offenders and give them due punishment.