Sexual harassment calls rise at commission
Three in 10 Nova Scotians — and one-half of Nova Scotia women — say they have experienced sexual harassment, according to the results of a new poll.
A survey of Atlantic Canadians by Corporate Research Associates found that 31 per cent of Nova Scotians say that they’ve been sexually harassed in their lifetime, with 13 per cent having experienced sexual harassment within the last five years, and 18 per cent having experienced it five years ago or more.
When broken down by gender, the survey found that 48 per cent of those who identify as female in Nova Scotia indicate that they have been sexually harassed, with 20 per cent saying they were sexually harassed within the last five years, and 28 per cent five years ago or more.
Thirteen per cent of those who identify as male say they have experienced sexual harassment.
The survey also found that the likelihood of experiencing sexual harassment in Nova Scotia is slightly higher than that of Atlantic Canada, where 26 per cent of residents, and 41 per cent of women, have been harassed.
Christine Hanson, director and CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, told The Chronicle Herald these numbers are not surprising to her.
Increased public awareness brought on by the #Metoo and # Time’sup movements has meant Hanson’s organization has seen a significant increase in calls in the last number of months from individuals who say they’ve been sexually harassed, and from employers looking for resources.
“People are becoming more aware that (sexual harassment) is wrong and they’re not going to put up with it anymore,” Hanson said.
“It’s important people realize how serious this is. It’s not just a workplace problem, it’s illegal — the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act prohibits sexual harassment.”
There’s a lack of awareness about what constitutes sexual harassment, Hanson
said, which is why the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission recently launched Safe Spaces Make Great Workplaces, an online tool to educate employers and encourage safe, harassment-free workplaces.
“We all think about sexual solicitation and advances, but then there are other types of sexual harassment that we see a lot of evidence of — like just the toxic work environment stuff, having half-naked posters up, sending around sexist jokes by email — a lot of those behaviours are also considered sexual harassment and also are illegal,” Hanson said, adding that any harassment involving someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity also falls under the umbrella of sexual harassment, Hanson also said if an incident takes place after work hours, and it involves employees, the employer is still responsible.
While all sexual harassment is illegal under the human rights code, Hanson said some instances wade into criminal territory and need to be taken to police, which includes sexual assault or threats of sexual assault, as well as criminal harassment, also known as stalking.
“If you’re being sexually harassed and it’s not a criminal situation there’s a lot of things you can do. If there is a workplace policy and there is a designated person there ... that’s a good starting point, or if you’re part of a union, your union rep can help support you in this and talk about next steps,” she said.
If those options are not available, not yielding solutions, or if someone feels unsafe or uncomfortable utilizing them, Hanson said they can go to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission for advice and, if warranted, file a human rights complaint. In order to file a human rights claim, however, Hanson said the person needs to begin the process within one year of the last incident of sexual harassment.
The Corporate Research Associates survey is part of an independent, quarterly telephone survey of 384 adult Nova Scotians, conducted from Feb. 1-25, 2018, with overall results accurate to within plus/minus 5.0 percentage points, 95 out of 100 times.