Sexual misconduct

Misconduct of a sexual nature; legal term in some jurisdictions

Part of a series on

Violence against women
Murder

* Bride burning
* Dowry death
* Honor killing
* Femicide
* Infanticide
* Matricide
* Pregnant women
* Sati
* Sororicide
* Uxoricide

Sexual assault and rape

* Causes of sexual violence
* Child sexual initiation
* Sexual violence statistics
* Forced prostitution
* Cybersex trafficking
* Human trafficking
* Fetish slaves
* Sexual slavery
* Violence against prostitutes
* Post-assault treatment of victims of sexual assault
* Rape
* Acquaintance
* By Deception
* Corrective
* Date
* Effects
* Factors
* Gang
* Genocidal
* History
* Laws
* Marital
* Pregnancy
* Prevention
* Prison
* Statistics
* Statutory
* Threat
* Unacknowledged
* Wartime
* Sexual assault
* Campus
* Child
* In Service
* Mass
* Secondary victimisation
* Sexual violence
* Virgin cleansing myth
* Widow cleansing

Disfigurement

* Acid attack
* Breast ironing
* Female genital mutilation
* Gishiri cutting
* Infibulation
* Foot binding

Other issues

* Gaslighting
* Dating abuse
* Domestic violence
* outline
* management
* and pregnancy
* Droit du seigneur
* Eve teasing
* Forced abortion
* Force-feeding
* Forced marriage
* Forced pregnancy
* Forced sterilisation
* Intimate partner violence
* Marriage by abduction
* Marry-your-rapist law
* Online gender-based violence
* Raptio
* Sexual bullying
* Toxic masculinity
* Witch trials

International legal framework

* DEDAW
* CEDAW
* VDPA
* DEVAW
* Belém do Pará
* Maputo
* Istanbul

Related topics

* Prosecution of gender-targeted crimes
* Women's shelter
* 25 November
* 6 February
* By country
* Sex and the law
* Victimology
* Violence against LGBT people

* v
* t
* e

Part of a series on

Violence against men
Issues

* Domestic violence
* outline
* against men
* management
* Forced genital mutilation
* Involuntary castration
* Forced circumcision
* Male expendability
* Malicious castration
* Involuntary penis removal
* Shame-stroke
* Groom kidnapping

Killing

* Androcide
* Patricide
* Mariticide
* Fratricide
* Avunculicide
* Homicide statistics by gender

Sexual assault and rape

* Rape
* Prison rape
* Statutory
* Male rape
* Sexual violence
* Estimates

Related topics

* Discrimination against men
* Reverse sexism
* Prosecution of gender-targeted crimes
* Men's rights movement
* Gynocentrism
* Masculist views on violence
* Sentencing disparity
* Violence against women

* v
* t
* e

Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum[1] that may include a broad range[2] of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality,[3] sexual harassment and/or criminal sexual assault.

However generally,[3] from a purely legal standpoint, sexual misconduct is a "lay term"[3] which represents a boundary that has been broken, dictated by a moral set of conduct,[1] particularly where the situation is normally non-sexual and therefore unusual for sexual behavior, or where there is some aspect of personal power or authority that makes sexual behavior inappropriate. A common theme, and the reason for the term misconduct, is that these violations occur during work or in a situation of a power imbalance (such as sexual harassment).[3]

The alleged misconduct can be of various degrees, such as exposure of genitals, assault, aggressive come-ons, pleading, or even inattentiveness to nonverbal cues of discomfort.[4] The "definition of sexual misconduct is far from clear" and it is a "lay term, sometimes used in institutional policies or by professional bodies", to deal with cases marked by power imbalance, coercion, and predatory behaviour."[5]

## Definitions

[edit]

In the legal sense, for a person in a position of authority, it includes in particular any sexual activity between them and one of their subordinates. This commonly includes teachers and their students, clergy and their congregants, doctors and their patients, and employers and their employees. While such activity is usually not explicitly illegal, it is often against professional ethical codes. For example, a teacher may be fired and a doctor may have their medical license revoked because of sexual misconduct. In addition, the person in the subordinate position may allege sexual harassment. The University of Iowa defines sexual misconduct as "...unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that is committed without consent or by force, intimidation, coercion, or manipulation."[6]

Entering a sexual relationship with a subordinate, even when the contact is initiated by the latter, is considered unethical by some because of the subordinate's vulnerability to the superior and the inequality of power that characterizes the relationship. In the case of the doctor-patient relationship, having a sexual relationship with the patient even after the professional relationship has concluded is considered problematic for the physician because of the potential for the patient's continuing dependence on and transference towards the physician. Therefore, sexual relationships with former patients are considered unethical by the medical profession when physicians "use or exploit the trust, knowledge, emotions or influence derived from the previous professional relationship" in any way.[7] By contrast, legal ethics permit sexual relations with former client and, in California, with current clients as well so long as the sex is consensual and is not rendered in exchange for legal services.

Some activities which are not strictly erotic, e.g. mooning (exposing the buttocks), streaking (running naked through a public area) and skinny dipping (swimming naked), are sometimes also categorized as sexual misconduct. Despite these opinions, others believe that sexual relations in workplace settings are not unethical including between boss and employee.[citation needed] Many companies do not prohibit so-called fraternization but instead recognize the difference between consensual dating and improper behavior.

According to Joanne Laucius from the Ottawa Citizen, the "definition of sexual misconduct is far from clear" and the "word 'misconduct' also lacks precision — it can be used as a catch-all for all kinds of behaviour, often obscuring what actually happened". Laucius states that the terms "sexual violence or sexual harassment and assault are much more specific terms that convey the nature of the allegations."[5] Elaine Craig, an associate professor in the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, states that "[s]exual misconduct is a lay term, sometimes used in institutional policies or by professional bodies. It covers an array of problematic sexual behaviour including sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual abuse. Two of these terms have specific (and different) legal meanings: Sexual assault has a specific meaning in the criminal law context, unlike sexual misconduct, which may cover both criminal and non-criminal conduct."[5]

Elizabeth Sheehy, the Shirley Greenberg Chair for Women and the Legal Profession at the University of Ottawa states that "[s]exual misconduct is a social issue and not a fixed line—it shifts as women gain access to economic and political equality. It's not found under criminal law, in human rights codes, or collective agreements. It might be found under professional disciplinary codes."[5] She states that "we don't have a consensus on it, either", "...except that there are three key considerations. First, a power imbalance. Second, coercion, whether implicit or explicit. Third, predatory behaviour."[5] Ally Crockford, a public educator at the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, states that "[s]exual misconduct is... a catch-all for behaviour that is not OK, but it's unclear how it should be classified. It could be any number of things—someone is made to feel uncomfortable, or they feel they are being watched or looked at in a certain way."[5]

Michelle Cottle wrote in The Atlantic that the "...almost infinite shades of creepy misbehavior on display are challenging the legal and cultural categories used to describe them", as this issue is, in "...some ways, uncharted territory", making it "...hard to tell how the new lines will be drawn, much less where."[8] Cottle states that "[m]illennials and younger Gen Xers seem to have a broader definition of what constitutes harassment as well as less hesitation about discussing their experiences".[8]

## In education

[edit]

See also: Sexual harassment in education, Sexual harassment in education in the United States, Sexual abuse in primary and secondary schools, and Campus sexual assault

A literature review of educator sexual misconduct published by the US Department of Education in 2004 written by researcher Charol Shakeshaft found that 9.6% of high school students have experienced some form of sexual misconduct.[9] Black, Hispanic, and Native American Indian children are at greatest risk for sexual abuse. Also at increased risk are children with disabilities; the reason for this may be their greater need for individual attention and their possible problems with communicating.[10]

## See also

[edit]

* Buddhist ethics § Sexual misconduct
* Professional boundaries
* Sexual abuse
* Sexual bullying
* Sexual ethics
* Weinstein effect

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Defence, National (December 3, 2019). "Chapter 2 - Understanding of Sexual Misconduct". www.canada.ca.
2. ^ "Sexual Harassment | RAINN".
3. ^ a b c d "What is sexual misconduct, exactly? Depends on who you ask". ottawacitizen.
4. ^ Dictionary of Ethical and Legal Terms and Issues, by Len Sperry, 2007 – Routledge, pages 238-239.
5. ^ a b c d e f Laucius, Joanne (29 January 2018). "What is sexual misconduct, exactly? Depends on who you ask". ottawacitizen.com. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
6. ^ "Operations Manual". opsmanual.uiowa.edu. University of Iowa. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
7. ^ JAMA 1991.
8. ^ a b Cottle, Michelle (20 December 2017). "What Does 'Sexual Misconduct' Actually Mean? The almost infinite shades of creepy misbehavior on display are challenging the legal and cultural categories used to describe them". www.theatlantic.com. The Atlantic.
9. ^ Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature (PDF) (Report). United States Department of Education. 2004.
10. ^ West, Hatters-Friedman & Knoll 2010, pp. 9–10.

## Notes

[edit]

* Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (Nov 20, 1991). "Sexual misconduct in the practice of medicine". JAMA. 266 (19). American Medical Association: 2741–5\. doi:10.1001/jama.266.19.2741.
* West, SG; Hatters-Friedman, S; Knoll, JL IV. (2010). "Lessons to learn: female educators who sexually abuse their students". Psychiatric Times. 27 (8): 9–10.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Sexual misconduct at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Sexual abuse

Forms|

* Bride kidnapping
* Child
* Child-on-child
* Child exploitation
* Child pornography
* in primary and secondary schools
* Child prostitution
* Child sex tourism
* Cybersex trafficking
* Forced prostitution
* Genital modification and mutilation
* Money marriage
* Rape
* Campus
* Date
* Gray
* Marital
* Prison
* By proxy
* Statutory
* Of males
* Raptio
* Revenge porn
* Sex trafficking
* Sexual assault
* Sexual bullying
* Sexual grooming
* Sexual harassment
* in education
* in education in the United States
* in the military
* Sexual misconduct
* Sexual predator
* Sexual slavery
* Sexual violence
* Statistics
* War

Sociological
theories|

* Aggression
* Causes of sexual violence
* Effects and aftermath of rape
* Misandry
* Misogyny
* Rape culture
* Rape trauma syndrome
* Sociobiological theories of rape
* Victim blaming

Laws|

* Laws regarding child sexual abuse
* Laws regarding rape
* Sexually violent predator laws

Related topics|

* Child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome
* False allegation of child sexual abuse

* Law portal

* v
* t
* e

Abuse

Types|

* Adverse childhood experiences
* Anti-social behaviour
* Bullying
* Child abuse
* neglect
* sexual
* military
* marriage
* Cruelty to animals
* Disability abuse
* military draft
* Domestic abuse
* Elder abuse
* Financial
* Marriage
* Gaslighting
* Harassment
* Humiliation
* Incivility
* Institutional abuse
* Intimidation
* Neglect
* Persecution
* Professional abuse
* Psychological abuse
* Physical abuse
* Police brutality
* Religious abuse
* Social abuse
* Sexual abuse
* Stalking
* Structural abuse
* Substance abuse
* Alcohol abuse
* Surveillance abuse
* Referee and umpire abuse
* Verbal abuse
* more...

Related topics|

* Abusive supervision
* Abuse of power
* Controlling behavior
* Complex post-traumatic stress disorder
* Dehumanization
* Denial
* Destabilisation
* Discrimination
* Exaggeration
* Just-world fallacy
* Lying
* Manipulation
* Minimisation
* Narcissism
* Playing the victim
* Psychological projection
* Psychological trauma
* Psychopathy
* Rationalization
* Sexual grooming
* Traumatic bonding
* Victim blaming
* Victimisation
* Victimology

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template