The Australian Human Rights Commission’s recently released their landmark Respect@Work report highlighting that sexual harassment is widespread in Australian workplaces, with almost 2 in 5 women experiencing sexual harassment in the past 5 years.
Kingsford Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre, the Women’s Legal Service NSW and Community Legal Centres Australia have called for comprehensive reform to protect workers from sexual harassment, agreeing with Kate Jenkins, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, that the law is simply no longer fit for purpose.
Our Director Emma Golledge welcomed the report’s recommendation that the Australian Government prioritise initiatives that aim to stop sexual harassment from happening in the first place, stating:
“The Respect@Work report recognises Kingsford Legal Centre’s innovative #MeToo, It’s About you initiative, which brings conversations about sexual harassment to year 9 and 10 students, many of whom are about to get their first jobs,”
“We know from the #MeToo, It’s About You initiative that community legal education is a powerful tool in raising awareness about sexual harassment and changing community attitudes.”
You can read our joint media release here