WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Can employers be held legally responsible for sexual harassment at work?

No prohibition of sexual harassment at work indicates that legislation does not specifically prohibit sexual harassment at the workplace, nor does it prohibit sexual harassment perpetrated by a person in a position of authority. This does not mean that legislation denies this guarantee.

No explicit legal responsibility means that legislation does explicitly prohibit sexual harassment at the workplace, but legislation does not pair this prohibition with an explicit provision that employers can be held legally responsible.

Employers can be held legally responsible means that legislation prohibits sexual harassment at the workplace and explicitly allows employers to be held vicariously liable or to be found negligent if sexual harassment occurs and the employer failed to prevent and/or respond to reports of sexual harassment.

Countries

Angola - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Antigua and Barbuda - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Belarus - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Botswana - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Brunei - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Canada - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Republic of the Congo - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Cuba - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Dominica - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

The Gambia - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Ghana - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Grenada - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Guatemala - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Guinea-Bissau - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Haiti - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Indonesia - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Iran - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Jamaica - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Japan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Jordan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Kazakhstan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Kuwait - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Mali - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Mauritania - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Micronesia, Federated States of - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Myanmar - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Nauru - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Nigeria - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Oman - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Palau - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Qatar - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Russian Federation - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Samoa - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

San Marino - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Seychelles - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Solomon Islands - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Somalia - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

St. Kitts and Nevis - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Sudan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Suriname - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Eswatini - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Syria - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Tajikistan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Tonga - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Trinidad and Tobago - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Turkmenistan - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Vanuatu - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Yemen - No prohibition of workplace sexual harassment

Afghanistan - No explicit legal responsibility

Algeria - No explicit legal responsibility

Andorra - No explicit legal responsibility

Argentina - No explicit legal responsibility

Armenia - No explicit legal responsibility

Bahamas - No explicit legal responsibility

Bahrain - No explicit legal responsibility

Bangladesh - No explicit legal responsibility

Bolivia - No explicit legal responsibility

Brazil - No explicit legal responsibility

Burundi - No explicit legal responsibility

Cambodia - No explicit legal responsibility

Cameroon - No explicit legal responsibility

Cabo Verde - No explicit legal responsibility

Central African Republic - No explicit legal responsibility

Chad - No explicit legal responsibility

China - No explicit legal responsibility

Democratic Republic of the Congo - No explicit legal responsibility

Cote d'Ivoire - No explicit legal responsibility

Croatia - No explicit legal responsibility

Czech Republic - No explicit legal responsibility

Djibouti - No explicit legal responsibility

Egypt - No explicit legal responsibility

Equatorial Guinea - No explicit legal responsibility

Eritrea - No explicit legal responsibility

Ethiopia - No explicit legal responsibility

Gabon - No explicit legal responsibility

Greece - No explicit legal responsibility

Greenland - No explicit legal responsibility

Guinea - No explicit legal responsibility

Guyana - No explicit legal responsibility

Hungary - No explicit legal responsibility

Iceland - No explicit legal responsibility

Iraq - No explicit legal responsibility

Italy - No explicit legal responsibility

Kenya - No explicit legal responsibility

Latvia - No explicit legal responsibility

Lebanon - No explicit legal responsibility

Lesotho - No explicit legal responsibility

Liberia - No explicit legal responsibility

Luxembourg - No explicit legal responsibility

Madagascar - No explicit legal responsibility

Malawi - No explicit legal responsibility

Moldova - No explicit legal responsibility

Monaco - No explicit legal responsibility

Morocco - No explicit legal responsibility

Namibia - No explicit legal responsibility

The Netherlands - No explicit legal responsibility

Niger - No explicit legal responsibility

Pakistan - No explicit legal responsibility

Papua New Guinea - No explicit legal responsibility

Paraguay - No explicit legal responsibility

Poland - No explicit legal responsibility

Rwanda - No explicit legal responsibility

Sao Tome and Principe - No explicit legal responsibility

Saudi Arabia - No explicit legal responsibility

Senegal - No explicit legal responsibility

Singapore - No explicit legal responsibility

Slovakia - No explicit legal responsibility

South Sudan - No explicit legal responsibility

Sri Lanka - No explicit legal responsibility

Tanzania - No explicit legal responsibility

Thailand - No explicit legal responsibility

Timor-Leste - No explicit legal responsibility

Togo - No explicit legal responsibility

Tunisia - No explicit legal responsibility

Uganda - No explicit legal responsibility

Ukraine - No explicit legal responsibility

United Arab Emirates - No explicit legal responsibility

Uzbekistan - No explicit legal responsibility

Vietnam - No explicit legal responsibility

Zambia - No explicit legal responsibility

Zimbabwe - No explicit legal responsibility

Albania - Employers can be held legally responsible

Australia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Austria - Employers can be held legally responsible

Azerbaijan - Employers can be held legally responsible

Barbados - Employers can be held legally responsible

Belgium - Employers can be held legally responsible

Belize - Employers can be held legally responsible

Benin - Employers can be held legally responsible

Bhutan - Employers can be held legally responsible

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Employers can be held legally responsible

Bulgaria - Employers can be held legally responsible

Burkina Faso - Employers can be held legally responsible

Chile - Employers can be held legally responsible

Colombia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Comoros - Employers can be held legally responsible

Costa Rica - Employers can be held legally responsible

Cyprus - Employers can be held legally responsible

Denmark - Employers can be held legally responsible

Dominican Republic - Employers can be held legally responsible

Ecuador - Employers can be held legally responsible

El Salvador - Employers can be held legally responsible

Estonia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Fiji - Employers can be held legally responsible

Finland - Employers can be held legally responsible

France - Employers can be held legally responsible

Georgia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Germany - Employers can be held legally responsible

Honduras - Employers can be held legally responsible

India - Employers can be held legally responsible

Ireland - Employers can be held legally responsible

Israel - Employers can be held legally responsible

Kiribati - Employers can be held legally responsible

Republic of Korea - Employers can be held legally responsible

Kyrgyzstan - Employers can be held legally responsible

Laos - Employers can be held legally responsible

Libya - Employers can be held legally responsible

Liechtenstein - Employers can be held legally responsible

Lithuania - Employers can be held legally responsible

North Macedonia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Malaysia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Maldives - Employers can be held legally responsible

Malta - Employers can be held legally responsible

Marshall Islands - Employers can be held legally responsible

Mauritius - Employers can be held legally responsible

Mexico - Employers can be held legally responsible

Mongolia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Montenegro - Employers can be held legally responsible

Nepal - Employers can be held legally responsible

New Zealand - Employers can be held legally responsible

Nicaragua - Employers can be held legally responsible

Norway - Employers can be held legally responsible

Panama - Employers can be held legally responsible

Peru - Employers can be held legally responsible

The Philippines - Employers can be held legally responsible

Portugal - Employers can be held legally responsible

Romania - Employers can be held legally responsible

Serbia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Slovenia - Employers can be held legally responsible

South Africa - Employers can be held legally responsible

Spain - Employers can be held legally responsible

St. Lucia - Employers can be held legally responsible

Sweden - Employers can be held legally responsible

Switzerland - Employers can be held legally responsible

Türkiye - Employers can be held legally responsible

Tuvalu - Employers can be held legally responsible

United Kingdom - Employers can be held legally responsible

United States of America - Employers can be held legally responsible

Uruguay - Employers can be held legally responsible

Venezuela - Employers can be held legally responsible