Working without fear: Results of the sexual harassment national telephone survey 2012 was launched by Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, on 30 October.  The survey  shows that sexual harassment is not only widespread in Australian workplaces, but that progress in addressing it has stalled

œSexual harassment is unlawful and has no place in Australian workplaces, Ms Broderick said. œEradicating sexual harassment from our workplaces will require leadership and a genuine commitment from everyone “ government, employers, employer associations, unions and employees.

The facts:

  • One in five (21%) people were sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years
  • Sexual harassment affects more women than men: 25% of women and 16% of men were sexually harassed in the workplace in the past five years
  • Nearly four out of five (79%) harassers were men
  • Ninety per cent (90%) of women were harassed by a man
  • One-third (33%) of women and less than one in ten (9%) men were sexually harassed in their lifetime
  • More than half (51%) of bystanders (people who saw or became aware of sexual harassment) took action to prevent or reduce the harm of sexual harassment

Research from Monash University  has also found 57.3% of female journalists in Australia experience sexual harassment on the jobover twice the general workforce rate and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed its support of initiatives to increase awareness and reduce the incidence of sexual harassment in the workplace.  Also last week, Workplace Relations Minister, Bill Shorten commended employers that include paid domestic violence leave in their workplace agreements – Australia is setting a world standard.

 

Around the Nation

Internationally

Get Involved!

  • The Not Yours To Promise survey closing date has been extended until 16 November  – If you have had any experience with children in, or at risk of, a forced marriage, while the children were under 18, please contribute to the project by filling out this survey
  • “”Have you ever expe­ri­enced unwanted con­tact from a part­ner or ex-partner via the phone or inter­net? Have you ever felt afraid because a part­ner or ex-partner has tracked you with your phone, harassed you on Face­book, or con­stantly sent you text messages?”” Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria want to know about your experiences.  If you are a woman living in Victoria and are aged over 18, please take part in the survey, which only takes around 15 minutes: http://smartsafe.org.au/
  • Deadline for submitting written statements for CSW57 is 15 November.  You must have ECOSOC accreditations and make recommendations for more information: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/NGO.html 

Upcoming Events

Still time!  Save $100 with an early bird registrations for the  National Rural Women’s Coalition inaugural conference in February 2013, Canberra closes 11 November, register now!

November

The ACT Women’s Services Network is holding its ˜Summer of Respect™, a summer-long anti-sexual violence campaign from last week’s Reclaim the Night until International Women™s Day on 8 March 2013

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Events
  • 27 November: Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide film screening, panel discussion and launch of Jacqui True’s book, The Political Economy of Violence against Women. at UNSW, 6-8pm, to register: http://ahrcentrehalfthesky.eventbrite.com.au.  The film screening is hosted by the Australian Human Rights Centre and  the film addresses the linked problems of sex trafficking and forced prostitution, gender-based violence, and maternal mortality.
  • 6 December: The Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse are hosting a  symposium to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 days of activism against gender violence; Damned Lies and Statistics: Understanding Gender and Violence Symposium with Dr Michael Flood and Dr Jane Wangmann  will be held in Sydney

 Later

  • Early Bird registration is open until 11 November for the National Rural Women’s Coalition (NRWC)’s inaugural Conference being held 18- 20  February 2013 in Canberra
  • 21 March 2013: Australian Women’s Coalition is calling young women between 18 – 30 years who live, study or work in Auburn, Bankstown, Liverpool or Coffs Harbour NSW, or in Canberra, ACT to be a part of SHOUT!  A series of three free workshops will run in each location, complemented by an online network of support and skills-sharing and a local network of participants and AWC member organisations. The workshops will culminate in community events on Harmony Day next year, . Find out more here
  • Save the date: 28-30 April 2013 – The Australian Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance (AMaRWA) will be holding a 2 day national conference on the elimination of violence against culturally and linguistically diverse women, supported by AWAVA.  Put it in your diary!
  • ‘Miss Representation’ Screening Tour: Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW are planning a series of screenings of ‘Miss Representation’ across Australia in 2012/13. If you are interested in hosting a screening of this film in partnership with WIFT NSW please email them

Internationally:

  • 7-9 November, Vancouver: 2012 National Research Day conference hosted by the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children (School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University), in partnership with the Ending Violence Association of British Columbia (EVA BC), the Canadian Observatory on the Justice System™s Response to Intimate Partner Violence, and the BC Society of Transition Houses
  • 4-15 March 2013: 57th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57), New York, priority theme: Eliminating and prevention all forms of violence against women and girls