France's 2018 law widens sexual harassment to cover acts by several people

France's law of 3 August 2018 "strengthening the fight against sexual and gender-based violence" was passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement. It changed how the offence of sexual harassment is defined, both in the Penal Code (criminal law) and in the Labour Code.

Until then, harassment generally meant repeated words or behaviour with a sexual connotation, or serious pressure aimed at obtaining a sexual act. The 2018 text added that the offence also exists when such behaviour is imposed on a person by several people, acting in a concerted way or successively, even if each of them acted only once and without coordinating with the others.

The change targeted situations in which a victim faces a series of comments or gestures from different colleagues, none of which would amount to repeated conduct on its own. The same law also created the offence of "outrage sexiste", a fine for sexist or sexual remarks in public spaces, and extended the time limit for reporting crimes committed against minors.

The wider definition later became a reference point for courts and employers assessing a hostile work atmosphere, including what is often called "ambient" harassment.