In 2014, the International Labour Organization (ILO) commissioned baseline research on sexual harassment in workplaces in the Pacific Island member States.1 Sexual harassment in the workplace was found to be a problem for the following reasons:

1. Sexual harassment in the workplace is not widely-recognised as a problem and
there is little quantitative research, some evidence suggests that it is in fact prevalent but underreported.
2. Very few Pacific sland States have comprehensive sexual harassment in the workplace legislation.
3. Employers are not legally required to have policies on sexual harassment in the
workplace.
4. Complaint mechanisms for sexual harassment in the workplace, where they exist, are difficult to understand and apply.

The purpose of this policy brief is to set out what sexual harassment in the workplace is and identify some good practices in the Pacific for tackling this important issue. This Brief also provides practical suggestions to governments and employers’ and workers’ organisations on how to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace.

Although gender-based violence, of which sexual harassment is one example, also occurs outside the workplace, this brief focuses on sexual harassment in the workplace.