Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions: A Comparative Perspective
Janice Joseph1
Sexual harassment is not a new phenomenon in tertiary institutions. It has been
receiving considerable attention in research and the media and public awareness has
increased dramatically. However, the term sexual harassment is not used uniformly
across the globe because countries have defined it differently. Consequently, prevalence
of sexual harassment in education varies across cultures. This paper examines sexual
harassment from a comparative perspective. It specifically focuses on the definition of
sexual harassment, incidence of sexual harassment of students in tertiary institutions,
effects of sexual harassment on victims; and victims’ responses to sexual harassment. It
also offers suggestions for curtailing sexual harassment in these institutions.
Keywords: colleges, violence against women, sexual harassment, female victims,
education.
1
Dr Janice Joseph is a distinguished professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton University, Galloway, New
Jersey, USA. E-mail: josephj@stockton.edu.