Do you have a tale to tell? The Human Rights Commission has launched an extensive nationwide fact-finding mission to investigate sexual harassment in the workplace.
As the #MeToo stories continue to come to light in all their unsavoury detail, the Australian Human Rights Commission has announced its new National Survey into Workplace Sexual Harassment, which will review and report on the prevalence, nature and reporting of sexual harassment in Australian workplaces by sector.
As Chief Sex Discrimination Officer Kate Jenkins noted in The Sydney Morning Herald, “For too long, victims of sexual harassment who’ve experienced these demeaning and humiliating behaviours, in some cases on a daily basis, in the workplace, have been expected to just put up with it. Many individuals have been discouraged from speaking out, or have been actively silenced. But now, there’s an unprecedented appetite for solutions.”
Over the next twelve months, the Commission will collect stories and experiences from a wide variety of individuals and organisations. Jenkins is calling for as many voices to be heard as possible: “I am calling on anyone with a story to tell or with ideas for change to make a submission. Your views and ideas are critical to the success of this world leading work and I encourage all Australians to take up this opportunity.”
The Inquiry will involve a submission process, as well as public consultations held in the capital cities and a number of regional cities. The Inquiry aims to identify the key drivers of sexual harassment, to uncover successful existing initiatives in the prevention of harassment in workplaces, and to provide key future recommendations to combat the problem.
You can make a submission through the Human Rights Commission website.
