It is important for one to be able to identify and distinguish acts of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The UWB Stop Sexual Harassment brochure defines acts of sexual harassment as: “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature”. In addition to that, any “unwelcome and unsolicited language or conduct that is sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive that it could reasonably be expected to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment” are also considered to be sexual harassments.
Sexual assaults on the other hand, are often violent and far more severe— some states regard the term “sexual assault” as synonymous to the term “rape”. According