Telephone hooliganism article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, liability. Where to contact

The once innocent children's prank, which consisted of calling an unknown person and uttering some obscene or obscene phrase, today has its own name and active participants - prankers.

The result of telephone pranks by such “jokers” are audio recordings of conversations in which the interlocutor is enraged and mocked verbally. Those who commit such antics and sometimes actively publicize their activities on blogs may not suspect that such behavior is classified as telephone hooliganism.

When telephone hooligans are punished according to the provisions of the Criminal Code

Cases of bringing pranksters to criminal liability are quite rare.
At the same time, it cannot be said that they do not exist at all. It all depends on what the bully says on the phone. The fact is that what was said during a telephone conversation can be punished in accordance with the provisions of other articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This may include:

Telephone terrorism. Article for telephone terrorism - 207 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Threats to the life and health of the interlocutor, if there are reasons to believe that they can be carried out. Responsibility for this is provided for in Article 119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

In a number of Western countries, there are penalties for telephone harassment. The article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation does not provide for telephone harassment, no matter how indecent and “dirty” it may be. According to the law, actions of this kind are considered petty hooliganism and are punished accordingly - with a fine or administrative arrest.

Telephone terrorism

Telephone terrorism (Article 207 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) is a fairly serious crime, characterized by the transmission of knowingly false information about any acts committed or being prepared to be committed that could lead to the death of people.

The punishment for such a crime can be very severe:

a fine of up to 200,000 rubles;
a fine in the amount of the average salary for 18 months;
compulsory work for up to 480 hours;
correctional labor for up to two years;
forced labor for up to 3 years;
restriction of freedom for a period of 3 years;
arrest for a period of 3 months to six months;
imprisonment for up to three years.

Why is hooliganism by telephone under Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation or 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses punished less severely? After all, the principle of the actions performed by the attacker is the same. The fact is that every message of this kind must be checked by special services.

Specialists of various levels go to the site of the alleged emergency, equipment is delivered, nearby houses are evacuated, and the operation of the facility that will be inspected is suspended. In simple words, the response of special services, on the one hand, involves the need for huge expenses, and on the other, while they are busy in another place, an explosion or something similar could actually happen, and they will not have time to react.

Unfortunately, as in most cases, the legislation in this regard is far from ideal. Let's say the police control room received a call. The person on the other end of the line said that some object was mined. All emergency services will be alerted and people from the site will be evacuated. As a result, the alarm will be false.

How should the police respond? Find the telephone terrorist and punish him. Everything is true, but what if the caller actually saw an abandoned object with wires sticking out in all directions and making strange sounds? Of course he called the police. When the evacuation began, the owner of the ticking device simply took it with him. It’s good if law enforcement officers start looking into it in detail, but if not, then a socially responsible person will receive, at best, a fine of 200,000 rubles, and next time he’ll think carefully about whether to call, even if something is burning before his eyes.

It should be added that the punishment for telephone terrorism may be increased. This happens if the damage is considered major. In simple words, response costs exceeded 1,000,000 rubles.

In such a situation, the following sanctions may be applied to the offender:

fine up to 1,000,000 rubles;
a fine in the amount of income for 3 years;
imprisonment for up to 5 years.

Most often, telephone terrorists are children. There are often cases when they “mined” the school before difficult tests or exams. The legislator considered that such cases should also be punished, but responsibility falls on the shoulders of parents or guardians. Most often, the legal representatives of a child terrorist pay a fine for improper upbringing and compensate the state for losses.

Sanctions for committing acts of telephone terrorism by minors are not subject to change. If a child has committed such an illegal act, then the punishment does not change even when he was emancipated, of course, if by that time the fine has not yet been paid.

As practice shows, in real life it is telephone terrorists who are punished. Other offenses committed in a similar way are difficult to prove, or are simply ignored due to their insignificance.

Last news

The co-authors of the draft law “On Harassment” in 2022 announced preparations for significant changes in legislation. They proposed introducing administrative liability for harassment at work in the form of a fine of up to 15 thousand rubles or correctional labor. The draft law defines harassment as physical actions and insults with obscene overtones.

According to the co-authors, it is the aggressors who should quit their jobs, not the victims of their unwanted actions.

Filing a police report

In the introductory part, provide your address details and introduce yourself by writing your full name, residential address, and telephone number.
In the descriptive part, indicate all the circumstances of the crime, including the specific time and date of the calls, the content of the conversations. Place special emphasis on the following points, if they occurred: - Calls were received at odd hours, which woke up household members, including small children or elderly people; - The bully made obscene suggestions, used profanity, insulted; - The bully made threats, that will cause harm to life and health.
In the petition part, demand to identify the hooligan and bring him to justice.
If there are attachments that are evidence of a crime, be sure to mention them in the application.
At the end, add a date and signature.

Where to apply

Despite the fact that it is difficult to prove such an offense, the victim of calls can try to hold the offender accountable by writing a statement against the calling attacker.

A complaint against an annoying interlocutor should be submitted to the police department in your area of residence. The prankster's antics must be described in detail. It is advisable to provide recordings of conversations.

The police must conduct an investigation into the complaint of the victim of annoying calls. As soon as all the facts stated by the applicant are double-checked, police officers must provide the victim with an answer on the merits of the questions raised in the application, and then either initiate a case or refuse to initiate it. The answer is given in writing.

If it is not possible to obtain action from the police, the victim is left with:

Visit the prosecutor's office with a complaint about the inaction of employees (for example, refusal to accept an appeal, refusal to initiate a case, or incomplete verification activities).
Appeal the inaction of the police to higher authorities (superior body or official), as well as to the district court.

After considering the complaint, the police may be required to eliminate violations of the Code of Criminal Procedure, cancel the illegal refusal, acknowledge the incompleteness of the inspection and give instructions on carrying out specific verification activities.

Contents of the statement

The application is drawn up in a standard form and has the following parts:

Introductory – information about the addressee and applicant.
Descriptive - contains an indication of the circumstances of the calls (dates and times, duration of conversations, their content). It is necessary to explain exactly how the victim’s rights were violated:
hints of harm or open threats;
night calls.
Petition - contains a request to identify the caller and apply sanctions to him.
List of attachments - you can indicate evidence, if available.
Address for sending a response.
Date of filing, signature of the applicant.

If an application for a crime is filed, the applicant must be warned under Art. 306 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, on liability for false denunciation, that is, accusing an innocent person of a crime.

Deadlines for consideration of applications

If a victim of telephone hooligans files a crime report, it will be considered in accordance with Parts 1 and 3 of Art. 144 Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation. The decision on such an appeal is made:

Within 3 days from the date of acceptance - as a general rule.
Within 10 days - at the request of the official conducting the inspection.
Up to 30 days - if it is necessary to carry out individual verification activities that require significant time expenditure - audits, research, examinations, operational investigative activities.

If the prankster’s actions relate to an administrative offense, then an investigation based on the victim’s report is carried out within 30 days.

If at the end of this period the police officers do not provide a response, the victim can contact the prosecutor's office.

What is hooliganism

Hooliganism has the following signs:

gross disturbance of the peace;
committed in a public place: square, park, street, landing;
expressed disrespect for social principles;
causing serious harm to public order.

The offender commits an unseemly act in order to challenge society; to do this, he behaves deliberately rudely, shows cruelty, and becomes violent.

The Criminal Code has introduced a rule allowing punishment for air rows, laser blinding of aircraft pilots and other actions that violate transport safety. In Art. 267.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, a rowdy person can be fined from 150 to 300 thousand rubles, have his freedom limited for two years, or put behind bars for the same period. So, brawlers will not be allowed to drink and behave disorderly in the aircraft cabin with impunity; any violation will result in criminal charges.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gHN3ZRqiybk%3Ffeature%3Doembed

A little bit of star life

People began to talk about harassment especially often after the exposure of the famous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. As it turned out, a huge number of cinema divas found themselves in luxury hotel rooms and had to enter into an intimate relationship with a man. So, they received star roles and became known throughout the world. But there is a strange thing - they talked about this many years later.

The first to speak was the famous actress Ashley Judd on the pages of the New York Times. The process took a serious turn. Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow and others literally stood in line behind her. It got to the point where almost every female movie star accused him of sexual accusations. As a result, the successful and richest man had to leave the film concert. Now he lives a reclusive life and the condition of the harasser is very sad. So you can find justice for a perverted person, the main thing is to want it and find like-minded people.

Hooliganism by telephone from the point of view of the Code of Administrative Offenses

The Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation in a number of articles also considers public order as an object of crime.

In particular, Article 20.1 states that it may be violated by actions that:

express disrespect for the subjects of society;
grossly violate the established principles among people;
accompanied by obscene expressions and curses;
constitute offensive nuisances.

Such acts are punishable by law and are considered petty hooliganism. At the same time, damage to property that does not belong to the subject or its destruction may also be classified as petty hooliganism, which is the subject of this article of the code.

For such an act the punishment is provided:

Administrative fine (from five hundred Russian rubles to one thousand).
Imprisonment for a period not exceeding fifteen days.

The fine increases to two and a half thousand rubles if the hooligan does not respond to the comments of a representative of the authorities monitoring the observance of order.

Thus, if it is possible to collect evidence that there were calls that violated the order of public life, then a case can be initiated to find the prankster. And if his identity is known or established, a trial begins.

To protect their interests, victims of pranks need to know that annoying phone calls are a violation of the constitutional right of every citizen of the Russian Federation to rest, and, therefore, they can be considered a violation of public order.

Therefore, when a citizen’s rights are violated in this way, it is necessary to immediately file a complaint with the police in order to stop the infringement of one’s rights.

What is harassment at work

Harassment at work is not only sexual violence, but also various types of psychological harassment. These include gestures, actions and statements that humiliate a person’s dignity and violate his personal boundaries.

Harassment includes:

verbal actions: derogatory remarks, hints, comments with sexual overtones;
non-verbal actions: obscene gestures, whistling, offensive sounds, sexual pictures, messages;
physical actions: coming close to a person, touching his clothes, hair, body.

Cyber harassment is also highlighted - offensive, unwanted SMS, emails, comments on social networks and websites. Harassment can take the form of intimidation or promises of material rewards in exchange for sexual favors.

Harassment is harassment not only in the workplace, but also in other relationships that involve hierarchy or dependence, such as between doctor and patient, teacher and student. Refusal to communicate in such situations or entering into open conflict leads to additional problems for the victim.

In addition, in the United States, harassment includes harassment by people of the same sex, as well as by employees against the manager.

What is hooliganism and vandalism?

Hooliganism is a violation of public peace in a gross form, a manifestation of clear disrespect for society. Vandalism is the destruction of cultural and historical values, damage to other people's property. Barbarism is destructive behavior. A person who commits acts of vandalism is in a special psychological state that pushes him to destroy and damage the property of society or individual citizens. Examples of acts of vandalism:

desecration of graves;
inscriptions on fences and walls of buildings (graffiti);
damage to elevators and trash cans;
defacement of monuments;
desecration of religious values;
burning of churches.

Setting a house or car on fire is a type of vandalism. Depending on what exactly a person did, the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation established the following classification: abuse, hooliganism, intentional damage to someone else’s property. Both adults and minors often commit acts of barbarity: they break lamps, break benches, and damage seats on public transport.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=13s3XG2YAdQ%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Problems with asserting your rights

Not all of us are gifted with persistent and decisive behavior. Since childhood, we have not learned to defend our rights, to say a decisive “no” when someone tries to put pressure on us, oppress us, or commit violence. For many, it is real torture to argue with the authorities. Such softness provokes violence against our personality and silence is perceived as consent. All this is an echo of improper upbringing.

There was violence in the family. Having watched enough of how the head of the family humiliated and beat his mother, remembering his childhood, when parents constantly insulted and fought, a person grows up complex and cowardly. What should I do? You need to take the first step and say “No!” at least once. Let you lose your job, let your bosses hold a grudge against you - but the worst thing is to allow yourself to be raped in any way.
Important: remember, a person who is afraid of everyone and everything will be identified by an aggressive nature in the first minute.
Hidden consent. This is exactly how the rapist perceives a handshake, a smile, or laughter at an anecdote and believes that it is possible to begin sexual activity. Under no circumstances should you allow someone to blow air kisses towards this person, especially if you don’t hug, kiss on the cheek, on the lips, even if it’s a friendly gesture. Not everyone perceives ordinary friendly relationships normally.

Qualification Features

Article 213 does not contain such an objective element as the use of violence. In this regard, if, during a violation of order, the victim was beaten or harmed to health of one degree or another, the act is qualified according to a set of norms. In case of intentional damage/destruction of property belonging to another citizen for hooligan reasons and resulting in significant damage, Art. 167 (second part). Moreover, if the culprit violates order, shows disrespect for society using weapons, his behavior is additionally qualified under Article 213.

When is harassment criminalized?

Criminal liability under Art. 133 “Coercion to engage in acts of a sexual nature” occurs in the following circumstances:

blackmail: threat to tell something that disgraces honor, dignity and reputation, information about personal life, if the victim refuses the aggressor (the information does not necessarily have to be reliable);
threat to destroy property or cause damage to it due to the employee’s refusal to enter into an unwanted relationship;
work or financial dependence.

Such behavior entails criminal liability only if the man or woman is forced to engage in sexual acts through blackmail, addiction or threats to destroy property. There are no other ways to bring the aggressor to criminal punishment. There is also no expanded interpretation of this article.

Features of the crime

Frequency
. Targeted “pranks” over the phone, as a rule, are carried out repeatedly, sequentially. They have a pre-thought-out script, which is followed by the so-called pranker - the one who plays the prank.
Lie
. Telephone hooliganism is often carried out with the aim of conveying false information to the victim. To do this, attackers can imitate the voices of friends, colleagues or acquaintances of the victim, as well as use their names and real facts.
Psychology
. The main task of pranksters is to bring the victim into dialogue. This is done with the help of cunning verbal constructions, various jokes or provocations. Attackers are not afraid of any consequences; it is important for them that they succeed in achieving their intended goal.
“Bomb in the building
. Probably the most common trick used by phone prank lovers. The organization receives a call informing them that a bomb or explosives have been planted in the building. The result of such a denunciation is a day of stopped work, wasted nerves and funds for evacuation.

Please note that the target of telephone bullying can sometimes be completely harmless and funny. If a colleague or friend pranks you without malicious intent, then this will not be considered a crime, nor will it be punishable by law.

More information about hooliganism -.

What is the victim's fault?

In jurisprudence, there is a term “victim behavior” - when a person, through his actions, including his appearance, provokes sexual violence against himself. The same goes for harassment. Surely many have noticed that management most often pesters those girls who try to wear a shorter skirt, wear blouses and dresses with a revealing neckline, flirt with management, and act loose.

There is even a whole movement - victim-blamers, that is, accusers of persons with victimized behavior. And sometimes, their attitude towards the victim is very rude and already a priori “thanks to” the actions of such movements, the injured party remains guilty.

How to punish a telephone bully knowing his number

If the bully’s phone number is known, you can immediately block it (put it on the “black list”) or complain and write a statement to the court.
The application must indicate:

Full name, passport details, address and telephone number.
Describe the whole situation: when they called, how many times, what they said, what number the calls were made from. It is especially worth emphasizing that the actions were directed against individual rights: he threatened life and health, insulted, made indecent proposals (harassment), and called at night. If the bully caused the victim to suffer financial losses (for example, the office had to be evacuated due to a false bomb report), it is worth mentioning this point and demanding compensation.
Requirements: identify the attacker and punish him.
List the attached documents: a printout of received calls, the text of the conversation or its audio version.
Date of document preparation and signature.

Please note: you can only go to court if you have the attacker’s phone number, otherwise the court will reject it.

Then the statement and evidence must be taken to the police station or directly to the court. There he must be accepted, registered and informed about the progress of the case.

Telephone hooliganism is not only a harmless prank, but also threats, deception and other unpleasant actions. This can not only deprive the victim of mental balance, but also be life-threatening: for example, lead to a heart attack. The legislation has 3 articles responsible for telephone hooliganism and “false” terrorism.

Watch a video explaining how to deal with telephone bullying: https://www.youtube.com/embed/X_aGluUqyLY

Article for sexual harassment in the Russian Federation

So, we figured out the definition itself. Now let's see what article is provided for such harassment in our country.

But, as it turned out, there is no specific article for harassment in the current legislation. However, there are a number of similar articles under which actions may be regarded as harassment and for which criminal penalties may follow. Moreover, by filing a claim, you can even compensate for moral damage. Now we will look at these legal acts.

Art. 133 – Compulsion to actions of a sexual nature

Compulsion to such actions as: sexual intercourse, sodomy, lesbianism and other actions of a sexual nature through blackmail, threats of destruction, damage or confiscation of property, or using the financial or other dependence of the victim.

This is the same crime, but already committed against a minor (minor).

Art. 134. Sexual intercourse or actions of a sexual nature with a person under the age of sixteen

This article consists of four parts:

Sexual intercourse, lesbianism or sodomy committed by a person who has reached the age of majority with a person who has not even reached the age of sixteen.
The same criminal acts, but committed with a person under fourteen years of age.
The actions mentioned in the first part of the article we are considering, but committed with a person who has not even reached twelve years of age.
Actions discussed in parts two or three of this article, but committed by a previously agreed group of persons or an organized group.

Liability of minors

Often, the Administrative and Criminal Code is violated not only by adults, but also by minors. Teenagers are at increased risk. It would seem that a teenager got into a fight at a disco - and what’s wrong, in fact, from the age of sixteen there will be punishment for actions. Children are susceptible to the influence of bad companies. They leave the influence of the family and can follow the lead of their older, experienced comrades. Here are the types of actions that are common among teenagers:

swearing in public places;
fights at discos;
mockery of the weak;
false calls to quick response services (police, emergency services, ambulance).

Violation will result in a fine or imprisonment. According to the comments to Art. 213 of the Criminal Code, the maximum punishment occurs in case of qualified personnel: a fine of up to 1 million rubles and imprisonment for seven years.

Until the age of eighteen, parents, guardians or the child care institution where the child is located are responsible for the behavior of children. Therefore, the obligation to pay a fine for violating order in a public place may be assigned to the mother, father or persons replacing them. If a child insults or even hits his parents, then such actions are not considered a type of hooliganism, since the main sign is violated - committing a violation in a public place.

The fight against malicious troublemakers is in full swing not only in Russia, but also in other countries: Germany, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Thus, in Belarus liability arises under Art. 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. Hooligans, like ours, are punished with fines, correctional labor and imprisonment. The maximum punishment will be under Part 3 of Art. 339 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus for hooliganism with the use of weapons by a rowdy. Violators can be jailed for up to ten years. If there are mitigating circumstances, the term of imprisonment will be reduced.

In Russia, violations of public peace often occur on the basis of racial hatred or rejection of religious beliefs. Thus, in one of the regions of Russia there was persecution of people from the Republic of Tatarstan. The investigation revealed the presence of a national motive in the actions of the accused, and they were convicted under Art. 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

So, there are administrative and criminal penalties for hooliganism. An offense will result in administrative punishment if you insult others in a public place. If a weapon is used or damages someone else’s property, the act will be qualified as a violation of the Criminal Code.

Administrative punishment

The Code of Administrative Offenses contains Article 20.1, which prescribes punishment for petty hooliganism.

This article establishes liability for violation of public order, expressed by:

in the use of obscene statements in public places (loud statements, crude comparisons, name-calling, etc.);
offensive harassment of passers-by (begging, rude demands for any help);
destruction (damage) of property (damage to someone else’s car, cafe property).

In the case of telephone offenders, this article does not apply, since petty hooliganism involves disturbing the order in a public place, while a telephone conversation is taking place one-on-one.

Although the caller’s actions contain signs of petty hooliganism, such as rude language, disrespect for society, offensive harassment, the attacker’s act does not contain the main signs of misconduct - violation of public order and publicity. Accordingly, Article 20.1 does not imply liability for telephone hooliganism for pranksters.

Insult

If an offender calls with the aim of humiliating a person, and does this in an obscene form, he can be prosecuted under Art. 5.61 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

Based on the provisions of this article, insult is a humiliation of a person’s dignity and honor, expressed in an indecent form.

Indecency in this case represents obscene statements or expressions that contradict moral principles, social norms of behavior, and also characterize a person from a negative side.

Vera Viktorovna Dolganina

Practicing lawyer with more than 10 years of experience.

Ask a Question

Article 5.61 of the Code of Administrative Offenses describes 3 types of insult that establish liability for the perpetrator. However, in the case of telephone hooliganism, the punishment is imposed only under part 1 of the article, since parts 2 and 3 involve inflicting a public insult.

Public insult is understood as an indecent statement towards a person, made in a way that allows a wide circle of people to learn about him (at a speech, through the media, etc.). An insult inflicted over the phone cannot be considered public.

The victim should file a complaint with the prosecutor's office, since cases involving offensive attacks are initiated by the prosecutor. The prosecutor initiates an administrative investigation, after which the case is transferred to the court to bring to justice the person who committed the insult.

In addition, the offended person can file a claim for compensation for moral damage, but he must prove that the offensive call was directed specifically to him, since pranksters often call random numbers.

If the fact of insult is proven and the offender is found, he will be punished with a fine of 1 to 3 thousand rubles.

False emergency call

Hooliganism committed via telephone also includes making a false call to emergency numbers, which include:

Fire protection.
Police authorities.
Ambulance.
Other services (Ministry of Emergency Situations, Emergency Gas Service, etc.).

If a “joker” calls emergency services without good reason, he must be prepared to face a fine for telephone hooliganism from one to one and a half thousand under Art. 19.13 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

The main factor for qualifying actions as a false call is knowledge, since the caller must understand that his message is a deception, and he is acting precisely from hooligan motives.

The call should not be related to terrorism, otherwise the act will be qualified in accordance with criminal law, namely Art. 207 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

How to deal with telephone bullying

There are several ways to fight.
The effectiveness of each depends on the specific situation:

The simplest and most effective way is to ignore the bully. This is especially helpful if they are calling from one number and the victim's phone can identify them.

Take note: you can add a bully to your “black list” on your cell phone.

If calls come to a landline phone, you should ignore the caller. You can immediately hang up the phone or leave it off so that the attacker speaks into space.
You should not respond or react to the words of a bully, no matter how offensive they may be. Often, the main goal of an attacker is to receive negative emotions and abuse - if he doesn’t get what he wants, he will not waste time.
Also, you should not call the number back: it may have call forwarding installed, transferring calls to paid services.
If a bully is seriously harassing or blackmailing you using personal information, you should record the conversation and write a statement to the police. The application must describe the situation and attach a recording of the conversation. If the police refuse to accept the statement or do not react in any way, it is worth writing a complaint to the prosecutor’s office - both against the hooligan and against the police.
Many telephone companies have an anti-telephone bullying department. You can go there so that the company conducts a check (from where and who called) and blocks this number itself. This method is used on landline phones.

All problems are in the character of the leader

If it is in the nature of a leader to “rape” his subordinates, then no matter how correctly a woman behaves, there will be problems. If a person likes it, write and it’s gone. This is a person who loves to satisfy his desires with a resource from his subordinates. They are absolutely sure that the person working for them is a slave who is obliged to follow all the whims and instructions of the boss. Moreover, I must say thank you, because he receives a salary, a benefits package, goes on vacation, and has days off.

Unfortunately, this state of affairs occurs in most offices in Russia. But due to imperfect legislation and the infringement of women’s rights, they remain silent and endure the harassment of their superiors.

It must be said right away that most tyrants run private companies. This is their domain, in which every boss feels like a master.

Is it worth complaining?

If the head of your department directly shows an “unhealthy” interest in you, and there is also a superior over him, it makes sense to complain. But there may be pitfalls here too. As a rule, small bosses know a lot about top management, which means they will agree with them. Especially if the main boss is a fellow tyrant. But it’s still worth a try, but you need to prepare for the fact that your boss will harbor a grudge and keep a stone in his bosom.

Important: when making a complaint against your manager, prepare arguments and evidence that cannot be disputed.

Learn to refuse

Yes, it is very difficult to say “no” to a boss who invites you to a restaurant, a cafe, or a cup of tea or coffee. Also, categorically do not agree to fulfill his requests of a personal nature. Refuse gifts and services; an exception may be the situation when gifts and visits to restaurants concern all company employees.

Of course, after refusal, the boss will definitely ask why you behave this way. It’s okay, just explain - there should always be a distance and subordination between management and subordinates, and you treat these moments with great respect.

Find out everything at once

You can find out what a manager is like when you start working. Before you sign an employment contract, talk to other employees and find out what the atmosphere is like in the company. Study all the information about the company on the Internet. Now it is impossible to hide anything and information about the tyrant boss must also be reflected. Find out reviews and information by his last name, middle name, and maybe clarify something for yourself.

Often, certain clauses of the contract hint that your duties will include “personal services” or “personal requests from superiors.” Ask what the articles are about and ask for a decent transcript to be included in the document. Otherwise, refuse to sign the contract. Perhaps this is a very worthy person, a respectable family man and a true gentleman with the best manners.

Be prepared for difficulties

Now we will not be unfounded and will display official statistics. By stopping the actions of a manager for whom harassment at work is the norm, a woman risks getting a lot of problems. Sometimes, it is they who force women to submit a letter of resignation or to appeal to their superiors with an apology and to comply with all their humiliating demands.

It has been proven that about 42% of women who were subject to sexual harassment left their positions, 25% were fired on the initiative of the “offended” boss. At the same time, in order to push the unfortunate woman out of the company’s doors, other employees may turn against her in order to serve the boss.

When they complain to a psychologist, women say terrible things. They are set up, not allowed to work normally, their computers and phones are broken, and they are exposed to ridicule. In short, the “herd instinct” works and once well-mannered colleagues turn into animals, ready to tear a person to pieces on the orders of the “leader”.

Psychologists recommend that if you failed to recognize the tyrant in time and he is now taking revenge using all sorts of methods, apply for dismissal. And if there is significant evidence of his harassment, go to court. It is a big mistake to rely on the testimony of other employees to win the case and put the rapist in his place. They may be intimidated, offered a more substantial salary and, as a rule, at the last moment they change their testimony.

How does sexual harassment affect your health?

Violence, whatever it may be, always has a negative impact on a person’s health. Not only does the woman get nervous, she experiences stress and depression. This means there will be heart problems, insomnia, headaches, dizziness. Labor efficiency drops, relationships with employees deteriorate, as they cannot concentrate on their work, and they lose incentive and confidence in the future. They understand perfectly well that the tyrant will find a way to take revenge on his subordinate for refusal.

Situation in Russia

Statistics in Russia regarding harassment in the workplace are disappointing. 50% of people who encountered such inappropriate treatment did not resist it in any way. About 16% tried to cope with the offender on their own. 17% wrote a complaint to the manager and asked to be transferred to another department. The same number quit. It is worth noting here that more women take this step than men.

And only a little more than 2% of workers did not tolerate harassment and did not try to solve the problem themselves. They went to law enforcement for help.

Classification of harassment by law

For an individual's behavior to be considered harassment, the following must occur:

offensive and inappropriate behavior of a person towards another being subjected to violence;
the person (the injured party) does not want to accept such signs of attention;
the victim is forced to commit illegal actions that he cannot fight back or try to defend himself with the help of the law.

In Europe and the USA, harassment in the workplace is classified as follows:

obscene comments, touching, pressing, hints, etc.;
indecent behavior of a teacher towards a female student. A promise to give a good grade if she agrees to the conditions put forward, or threats if she does not;
a person threatens to reveal certain personal information about the victim if she does not agree to have sexual intercourse with him;
a boss forces his subordinate to have sexual intercourse;
when a creditor demands sexual relations from a debtor.

In these countries, such actions are criminalized.