Editing Sexual misconduct (section)

{{short description|Misconduct of a sexual nature; legal term in some jurisdictions}}
{{Violence against women}}
{{Violence against men}}
'''Sexual misconduct''' is [[misconduct]] of a sexual nature which exists on a [[spectrum]]<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/conflict-misconduct/operation-honour/orders-policies-directives/operation-honour-manual/understanding-of-sexual-misconduct.html|title=Chapter 2 - Understanding of Sexual Misconduct|first=National|last=Defence|date=December 3, 2019|website=www.canada.ca}}</ref> that may include a broad range<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-harassment|title=Sexual Harassment &#124; RAINN}}</ref> of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of [[morality]],<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/what-is-sexual-misconduct-exactly-depends-on-who-you-ask|title=What is sexual misconduct, exactly? Depends on who you ask|website=ottawacitizen}}</ref> [[sexual harassment]] and/or criminal [[sexual assault]].

However generally,<ref name="auto3"/> from a purely legal standpoint, ''sexual misconduct'' is a "lay term"<ref name="auto3"/> which represents a boundary that has been broken, dictated by a moral set of conduct,<ref name="auto2"/> particularly where the situation is normally non-sexual and therefore unusual for sexual behavior, or where there is some aspect of personal power or authority that makes sexual behavior inappropriate. A common theme, and the reason for the term ''misconduct'', is that these violations occur during work or in a situation of a power imbalance (such as [[sexual harassment]]).<ref name="auto3"/>

The alleged misconduct can be of various degrees, such as exposure of genitals, assault, aggressive come-ons, pleading, or even inattentiveness to nonverbal cues of discomfort.<ref>''Dictionary of Ethical and Legal Terms and Issues'', by Len Sperry, 2007 – Routledge, pages 238-239.</ref> The "definition of sexual misconduct is far from clear"  and it is a "lay term, sometimes used in institutional policies or by professional bodies", to deal with cases marked by power imbalance, coercion, and predatory behaviour."<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/what-is-sexual-misconduct-exactly-depends-on-who-you-ask |title=What is sexual misconduct, exactly? Depends on who you ask |last=Laucius |first=Joanne |date=29 January 2018 |website=ottawacitizen.com |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=9 June 2018 }}</ref>