Sexual harassment: evidence and help at work, school or services

Current protections and scope

The Sex Discrimination Ordinance prohibits sexual harassment within its applicable fields and protects both men and women. A single incident can qualify; repetition is not essential. Workplace cases can also raise employer responsibility. Conduct, context and statutory requirements matter, rather than the alleged harasser simply describing it as a joke.

The EOC investigates written complaints within its jurisdiction and encourages conciliation; its guidance advises complaining within twelve months of the incident. An internal process does not replace attention to external time limits. Threats, assault or immediate danger also need police assistance, with 999 for an emergency.

Act in order: evidence and assistance

1. Attend to safety first, leaving a dangerous situation and seeking police or trusted support where necessary. You do not need to continue meeting the person alone to obtain fuller evidence. Avoid exposing your address or complete identity documents in an attempt to rebut the incident publicly.
2. Save unaltered messages, emails and images and record the date, place, conduct, your response and witnesses. Keep conversational context alongside screenshots. Identify whether the situation involved work, services or education rather than preserving only an isolated phrase without the surrounding relationship or events.
3. Where appropriate, use the workplace or school policy and ask who will handle the complaint and how retaliation concerns will be addressed. If the supervisor is involved, identify an alternative responsible person. Consult EOC COMPASS or the designated assistance channel about scope and submission requirements alongside this preparation.
4. In a formal complaint, set out the events, relationship and evidence, explaining the arrangements and remedy sought. Record subsequent changes to shifts, assessments or harassment. Conciliation is voluntary; understand confidentiality, payment and release terms before settling, and check any litigation deadline separately.

Common misunderstandings

Whether you explicitly said stop is not the only consideration, and an EOC enquiry does not require a prior criminal conviction. Equally, submitting a complaint is not a finding of unlawful conduct. Original evidence helps the responsible body assess the conduct and circumstances.

Before resigning, settling or deleting messages, consider effects on evidence and employment rights. A trusted person can help organise the record, while formal representation and information sharing still require the appropriate arrangements. Avoid circulating sensitive images across multiple group chats merely to obtain informal opinions.

Turn the problem into a usable record

An entry might say: 'After work on this date, my supervisor sent an unwelcome sexual image; the original message and timestamp are attached; a private meeting was requested the next day.' Add the employment relationship and effects so assistance can address safety and statutory scope.