Course Overview

According to the Equal Treatment of Men and Women in the Employment and Professional Educational Laws 2002-2006, four forms of discrimination exist because of gender:

1. Direct gender discrimination
2. Indirect gender discrimination
3. Sexual harassment and
4. Harassment

Through the literature and Cyprus available data the problem of the sexual harassment at workplace is apparent. Sexual harassment is more frequent in women but it can also happen to men. The perpetrators can be of the same or the opposite sex. In most cases the perpetrators are the employers and colleagues. The prevention and confrontation include preventive seminars, information and awareness of employers and employees, empowerment of the individual, penal prosecution and access in counselling services for victim support. In Cyprus, the ombudsman office composed the Code of Practice for the confrontation of sexual harassment in the workplace in 2007.

Sexual harassment is a violation of the law “Equal Treatment of Men and Women in the Employment and Professional Educational Laws 2002-2006”. The employer must ensure that no employee will receive offensive sexual behaviour. The employer bears increased responsibility and is considered primarily responsible for the protection of his employees from similar acts of colleagues or superiors. It is obliged to take all necessary measures to protect the victim as soon as it is informed. Failure to act does not preclude making the employer jointly responsible with the perpetrator of the harassment. The direct obligation of the employer, arising from the relevant legislation, is the training of the staff for the provisions in question.