Kingsford Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre, Women’s Legal Service NSW and the National Association of Community Legal Centres have recently released a joint report #MeToo: Legal Responses to Sexual Harassment at Work. The report also forms our submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces and includes details of the experiences of our clients.
The report outlines the endemic nature of sexual harassment in workplaces across Australia, our clients’ experiences, and inadequacies in the current law and complaints system. We suggest key legislative, regulatory and policy reforms to reduce sexual harassment, increase reporting, and radically change workplace culture. The report makes 47 recommendations to build a culture where women can access and enjoy their right to work, in safe workplaces that are free from sexual harassment.
KLC continues to work across all areas to reduce the impact of sexual harassment and improve the effectiveness of legal responses. We continue to roll out our innovative community legal education program targeted at high school students. The ‘Me Too, It’s About You’ workshops aim is to start a conversation about sexual harassment and to educate young people around their rights and responsibilities in relation to sexual harassment. Through the workshops KLC hopes that the students will understand what sexual harassment is, be able to identify it in day-to-day life, and know what they can do to help put a stop to it. We continue to offer legal advice to anyone in NSW who has experienced sexual harassment.
