Crime of sexual harassment in Turkish Criminal Code no. 5237

Sexual freedom and crimes against sexual freedom have always been subject to numerous debates, which have remained as prominent issues throughout history. In our opinion, the importance of these topics shall all along continue. The reason why the crime of sexual harassment, which constitutes an attack on sexual freedom, occupies an important position, is unfortunately due to the fact that it is a crime that may be faced by everybody anytime and anywhere in our daily lives. It is compelling to expressly define the difference between legitimate and illegitimate acts in terms of this frequently encountered crime. Hence, the scope and limits of sexual harassment are extremely gray. In addition, as in other crimes against sexual freedom, in terms of sexual harassment crime, it is not always possible to clearly demonstrate the proof of the crime and whether it is committed or not, since most of the time this crime is committed verbally or sexual behaviors are carried out without touching the body.