Australia launches workplace sexual harassment inquiry
Chase Winter
June 20, 2018
The Australian Human Rights Commission said the inquiry was believed to be the world's first in response to #MeToo. It will examine the many sides of workplace sexual harassment and make recommendations.
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Australia launched a national inquiry into workplace sexual harassment on Wednesday, inspired by the global #MeToo movement, which has exposed the prevalence of the problem.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said the 12-month independent inquiry is believed to be the first such national process taken by any country in response to #MeToo.
"Recent prominent international and national coverage has highlighted the prevalence and detrimental impact of sexual harassment on individuals and organizations. This inquiry will be a positive and meaningful step forward in reducing sexual harassment at work and ensuring that, where it does occur, it is dealt with carefully and appropriately," Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer said.
The inquiry will examine the causes of sexual harassment in the workplace, the role of technology and social media in perpetuating the problem, as well as the legal framework.
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As part of the inquiry, employers and the public will be able to submit their experiences with sexual harassment and best practices in combating it before the commission develops recommendations.
"Importantly, the inquiry will provide employees, employers and all members of the public with an opportunity to participate in developing a solution to ensure Australian workplaces are safe and respectful for everyone," said Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, adding that there will be a review of complaints made to state and territory anti-discrimination agencies.
The inquiry will also examine the economic impact of sexual harassment.
"We already know that the personal and career consequences of workplace sexual harassment are very significant," O'Dwyer said. "The organizational impacts are also substantial, including reduced productivity, high staff turnover, absenteeism, compensation claims and early retirement."
A 2012 national survey found that 20 percent of Australians over age 15 have been sexually harassed, with 68 percent of those experiencing it in the workplace.
Jenkins said a new survey to be released in August is expected to show an increase in rates of sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment often goes unreported, but a number of high profile individuals coming forward with their stories in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement has emboldened more women to share their experiences.
Time's 2017 Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers
Giving power to the #MeToo movement, the people who came forward with their stories of sexual harassment have been named Time's 2017 Person of the Year. Here are some of the most high-profile "Silence Breakers."
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Ashley Judd
In 1997, upcomer Ashley Judd was invited to meet star-maker Harvey Weinstein at an LA hotel, whereupon he tried to coerce her into bed. Judd escaped but refused to be silenced. Many in Hollywood then said the producer's sexual misconduct was an "open secret." "There wasn't a place for us to report these experiences," said Judd, the first to call out Weinstein in the New York Times in October.
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Rose McGowan
When actor Rose McGowan first told people that Harvey Weinstein had raped her, she says some in Hollywood threatened to end her career. "They threatened [me] with being blacklisted. I was blacklisted after I was raped, because I got raped, because I said something," she said in a January interview first published in the Observer. But that didn't stop her from later speaking out.
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Taylor Swift
When Taylor Swift alleged that Denver radio DJ David Mueller reached under her skirt and groped her, he took her to court after it lead to his firing. "I'm not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault," she told his lawyer. Swift also told Time magazine that if Mueller was "brazen enough to assault me... imagine what he might do to a vulnerable, young artist."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Selma Blair
Blair claims that writer/director James Toback invited her to his room and asked her to remove her clothing while she read a script before asking her for sex. When she refused, he blocked her way and masturbated against her leg. He then threatened to kill her if she dared to talk. "I didn't want to speak up because, it sounds crazy but, even until now, I have been scared for my life," said Blair.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/J. Strauss
Alyssa Milano
"Me Too" was first used in 2006 by gender equality activist Tarana Burke as a rallying cry for young sexual harassment and assault survivors. Actor Alyssa Milano was sent a screenshot of the phrase in October and later tweeted: "If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet." She woke to find that over 30,000 people had used #MeToo and burst into tears.
Image: Getty Images/D. Kambouris
Wendy Walsh
After Bill O'Reilly and Fox News spent millions on lawyers to settle, and silence, sexual harassment claims, Wendy Walsh, a psychologist and Fox contributor spoke out about O'Reilly after initial reluctance for fear of retaliation. "I felt it was my duty," Walsh told Time, "as a mother of daughters, as an act of love for women everywhere and the women who are silenced, to be brave."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. McCartney
Megyn Kelly
TV news anchor Megyn Kelly has accused Fox host Bill O'Reilly of sexual harassment. "What if we did complain?" she said to Time, "if we spoke our truth in our strongest voices? What if that worked to change reality right now?" Perhaps that change has already started to come. "I always thought maybe things could change for my daughter," said Kelly. "I never thought things could change for me."
Image: Getty Images/K. Winter
Susan Fowler
An Uber engineer, Fowler felt powerless with "a harasser in the White House" and decided to out sexual harassers at Uber in a blog post. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was subsequently forced to resign and 20-odd employees were fired. "There's something really empowering about standing up for what's right," said Fowler, who has been described as a whistle-blower — which she calls "a badge of honor."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Van Tine
Terry Crews
The actor and former American football star is one of a number of men who have said "me too." Crews has taken out a sexual assault lawsuit against talent agent Adam Venit, who he accuses of groping him at a party in Hollywood in February 2016. Also among Time's Silence Breakers is actor Blaise Godbe Lipman, who's accused talent agent Tyler Grasham of sexually assaulting him when he was a teenager.