Also see Bullying

Your learning environment should be free of racial, sexual or any other kind of harassment or discrimination.

Harassment is any conduct (verbal, written or physical) which is unwanted, unwelcome or which may be offensive.

Harassment and the law

It is against the law in NSW to harass or discriminate on the grounds of:

• Age
• Gender
• Marital status
• Physical or intellectual disability
• Race
• Sexual preference.

Other types of behaviour are also against the law. For example, the following behaviours are illegal and are regarded as criminal offences:

• Graffiti
• Indecent exposure
• Obscene phone calls and letters
• Physically molesting a person
• Sexual assault.

Harassment - How to deal with it

If you believe you are being harassed, discriminated against or unfairly treated in any way, it is important that you:

• Don’t ignore it
• Do something to let the person know that you object to their behaviour and that you do not want it repeated
• Speak to your teacher, head teacher, supervisor or another senior officer in the college
• Discuss the matter with a counsellor.

You can talk to any of the people mentioned without making a formal complaint. If you do choose to make a formal complaint, it will be treated very seriously and dealt with quickly.

Remember that all discussions are confidential.