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I am an intern, and also doing research in an institute. I am suffering from depression, because my research guide is harassing me by making me overloaded by his personal projects/works and also tries to touch (bad) me, which I really don't like. He is a married man.

How can I get rid of this? I can't leave the institute. Please give me some tips or solution. Please help.

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    Where is this. Location matters. In the US and Europe there are protections for this. In China and India not nearly so much.
    – IDrinkandIKnowThings
    Commented Dec 5, 2014 at 21:10
  • That he is married is irrelevent, the actions you describe him doing are despicable regardless. Does your institute have an HR department you can escalate to?
    – bharal
    Commented Dec 6, 2014 at 4:31
  • This question may be more suitable on Academia SE.
    – Nobody
    Commented Dec 6, 2014 at 8:24
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    Hi maya and welcome to the site. I am sorry you are in such an uncomfortable position. I don't know where you are, but the inappropriate touching is definitely out of line where I come from. We have a similar question from the other side (a woman supervisor making a man uncomfortable with touching), so I'm marking this as a duplicate. If you think the situation is different because of where you're located or because the genders are reversed, please edit to clarify and the community will review it for reopening. Good luck.
    – Monica Cellio
    Commented Dec 7, 2014 at 2:35

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I get I may get beat up on this but you are in a very bad position.

I am not an attorney and please do not interpret this a legal advice.

If you go to HR without a good case this person could harm you. You could lose your position.

Once you you go formal he will go into a defense mode. I would build a case. Microphone, witness, and email.

Lets leave legality of a microphone out of it. If you know you have a microphone I suspect it is legal. Legal in a court of law is not the same as legal in HR. You play the tape to HR and that bell cannot be unrung. So, if it is not a legal recording it cannot but used in a court of law but HR is not bound by rules of legal evidence.

Even if it is illegal (and I don't think it is). He would have to file legal charges against you and that recording would have to be introduced into evidence. He is not going to do that.

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    Legality of recording depends on the country, but in most Western countries it's illegal to record on private property without permission. That said, if you're at work and can have a legitimate reason to record something...and simply forget to turn that recording off.... well, that accidental evidence could still be useful
    – Jon Story
    Commented Dec 5, 2014 at 23:19
  • @Blam - People that harass other people in this way often do it to other people or have done it in the past. All it takes is one single person to report it. The retaliation you describe would also be illegal in the states, even if its not true, if somebody were to be fired after making a claim like this a judge would likely raise their eyebrows if a case the company for being let go unjustly were to happen. Of course during the process of the case it would be determine the person wasn't telling the truth and eventually the case would be thrown out.
    – Donald
    Commented Dec 7, 2014 at 2:31

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