ABSTRACT
The Human Rights Act, 1993 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex including pregnancy, sexual orientation, family status. Relevant sections of the Human Rights Act refer to procedures to be followed for complaints of sexual harassment. Employers have a responsibility to prevent sexual harassment by developing workplace policies, which may include specific staff being trained in handling such complaints. Employees should be made aware of these policies and have access to the information. The Harassment Act, No. 92/1997 provides legal protection from acts of harassment in the workplace and elsewhere. The Act defines serious types of harassment as criminal offenses. This applies to a person harassing another and acting in a way that causes the person to fear for his or her safety. An employee may also be sexually harassed by a co-employee or by a client or customer of the employer, depending on the circumstances which have occurred.
