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Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission |
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - Resources Available Online |
Twenty years of legislation has apparently done little to effectively eliminate sexual harassment, according to results of a national telephone survey which found that more than one in four Australians have been sexually harassed. |
This means that the risk of a claim for sexual harassment is a real risk and highlights the need to adopt guidelines that should reduce the risk of such claims. |
In the survey, 28 per cent of adult Australians (41 per cent of Australian women and 14 per cent of men) stated that they have experienced sexual harassment, with two-thirds of those experiencing sexual harassment at work. |
15 per cent of adult Australian women and 6 per cent of men said that they experienced workplace sexual harassment within the five years prior to the survey. Alarmingly, 22 per cent of these women and men stated that the harassment occurred in the last 12 months. |
Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward and Attorney General Phillip Ruddock recently launched a package of materials on workplace sexual harassment, including guidelines for employers on how to meet their obligations to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. |
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Code of Practice for Employers explains:
- what constitutes sexual harassment;
- how employers can be liable for sexual harassment in the workplace; and,
- how employers can limit liability -reasonable steps owners can take to prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace.
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| These materials are available online at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/sex_discrimination/sexual_harassment.html |
Peter McNamara |
peter.mcnamara@cml.com.au
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