Harassment

Emergency number – 112

Remember that you are not alone.

Our society will help you in any difficult situation!

If you need urgent police assistance, call the national emergency number 112.

If someone has been injured, begin administering first aid. Prevent any further damage from occurring, if possible.
You do not need an area code, just dial 112. Calls to the emergency number are free from all telephones.
You can also use the emergency number to report a crime in progress. Even if you are unsure what is happening, it is always better to call than not.
Act quickly to get the help you need in time. Never be afraid to call the emergency number. The operators at the emergency response center know what to do and what questions to ask.

Further information by Finnish Police

The page about violent crimes by Finnish Police: Violent crime.

If someone stalks you, please follow the Finnish Police instructions in English here: Stalking.

The page about sex offenses: Sex offences.

Filing a police report: Report a crime; you can also do it online!

What is harassment?

What is harassment, and how does it manifest itself in the workplace and place of study?

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (link to English translation), harassment is behavior that harms or threatens another person’s physical or mental health.

Harassment may include:

The Influencing the content and amount of work tasks, making work more difficult.
The assignment of work tasks that are insignificant and offensive or too difficult, preventing information flow
Social exclusion, refusing to speak to someone, condescending shrugs.
Refusing to work together, exclusion from the work community.
Continuous criticism and underestimation of work, criticism, suggestive and mean speech.
Damaging reputation by spreading rumours.
Calling names, making fun of, slandering, distorting some’s words
Threatening physical violence, causing damage to the target

Sexual harassment may include

Suggestive gestures, vulgar comments, dirty jokes.
Comments concerning the target’s body, clothing or private life
Pornographic material, sexually colored contacts (phone calls, e-mail, social media comments, and messages).
Physical contact.
Attempts or demands for sexual relations

Harassment may also be gender-based harassment, which means unpleasant behavior related to a person’s gender, gender identity, or gender expression. Gender-based harassment is not sexual in nature, but it violates the integrity of the other person. Harassment often involves feelings of being threatened, humiliation, and anxiety. Gender-based harassment includes degrading speech about the other’s gender, being demeaning towards the other’s gender, and bullying due to the gender of the victim.

Instructions by ESN Lappeenranta

Follow the instructions given by the Finnish Police (at the start of the page).

If that happens at the university, notify our harassment contact person or board: page with contacts. It is good for us to know about potentially abusive people so we can track if a situation might happen with someone else.

We can help you find a solution at our level. We can help to support you in a difficult situation. We could help you and escalate the complaint to LUT and LAB’s HR or a related student union.

Remember that the absolute authority to apply is the Finnish police, as they have the only power over the situation. Mediation inside the university alone may not suffice when you need the maximum or urgent help of authorities.