ハラスメント推進対策室

What is Harassment?

Kyushu University defines harassment as "sexual harassment, power harassment, academic harassment, harassment related to pregnancy, fertility treatment, childbirth, childcare leave, family care leave, etc, and other harassment and similar acts that violate human dignity.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is sexual behavior that makes another person feel uncomfortable, regardless of the actor's intention, and harms the working or learning environment.

Examples
  • ● Inappropriate sexual demands in exchange of higher grades or job promotion; and if such demands are rejected, giving unjustifiably poor grades or evaluations.
  • ● Unwelcome physical contact and getting angry or abusive when the advances are rejected.
  • ● Making sexual jokes and demanding to hear about the other person's sexual experiences, despite the other person's discomfort
  • ● Making sexist or stereotypical gender statements, such as “Women are ...” or “He's behaving just like a woman.”
  • ● Saying that a person who has a sexual orientation or sexual identity different from other people is mentally disturbed or has some kind of problem.

Power Harassment and Academic Harassment

Power harassment occurs when a person uses their position (power) or influence at the university to repeatedly indulge in abusive behavior. Within the context of education and research, it is termed “academic harassment.”

（１）Examples of power harassment

  • ● Repeated behavior that denies a person's dignity, such as saying, “You're an idiot,” “Quit,” “I don't like you,” “You're useless,” etc.
  • ● Behavior that places another person at a disadvantage by hinting that they have authority over the other person's personal matters.
  • ● Intentionally withholding information needed for executing a task or delaying instructions in a way that hinders a task.
  • ● Making a person work extremely long hours or compelling them to work on holidays.

（２）Examples of academic harassment

  • ● When a teacher singles out a student and does not supervise their research or supervises it in an excessively strict manner.
  • ● Repeatedly denying a person's dignity by loudly scolding them in front of others in classes or seminars, saying things like, “You don't get it no matter how many times I tell you, you are useless” or “You are incompetent,” etc.
  • ● Obstructing a student's graduation or job search. Not giving class credit without a valid reason.
  • ● Changing the names of the authors on an academic paper or excluding a person from a research team, in a way that places them at a disadvantage, without a valid reason.
  • ● Forces a person to perform research that compels them to work very late hours and on days off.

Harassment related to pregnancy, fertility treatment, childbirth, childcare leave, family care leave, etc

Examples of harassment related to pregnancy, fertility treatment, childbirth, childcare leave, or family care leave is the disruption of the working or learning environment through the frequent use of language or behavior that leads to the denial of pregnancy, childbirth, or the utilization of systems such as childcare or family care leave.

（１） Examples of harassment related to use of the leave systems, etc.

  • ● When an employee requests for prenatal leave and the supervisor says something like, “If you take the time off, I will fire you,” etc.
  • ● When a male employee requests for childcare leave and the supervisor says something like, “A man should not be taking childcare leave,” etc.
  • ● When an employee requests for family care leave and the supervisor repeatedly says “Your colleagues never ask for leave. You shouldn't either.”
  • ● A supervisor repeatedly says about a colleague who is using the shortened work hours system, “They don't care about the people around them. They are causing trouble.”

（２）Examples of harassment of someone who has been pregnant and given birth

  • ● A supervisor says to an employee who is reporting her pregnancy, “I'll have to hire someone else, so I have no choice but to let you go,” etc.
  • ● When supervisors and colleagues repeatedly say, “We can't assign you any work because we don't know when you will be taking time off during your pregnancy,” etc. They decide not to assign any work, or that is how the situation turns out.

Other types of harassment

Apart from the harassment described above, harassment can occur outside of the education, research, and work locations.

Examples
  • ● Spreading personal information obtained in the execution of duties or spreading baseless rumors.
  • ● Forcing others to help out with personal errands and personal activities.
  • ● Urging others to perform illegal acts.
  • ● Unfair ostracization and bullying, etc.
  • ● Forcing others to drink alcohol at after-hours parties.