One in three people, or 33% of employees, working in the Australian Parliament has experienced sexual harassment at work, the Australian Human Rights Commission said in a report released on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2021) One in three people, or 33% of employees, working in the Australian Parliament has experienced sexual harassment at work, the Australian Human Rights Commission said in a report released on Tuesday.
The Australian Parliament, located in the capital of the country, Canberra, employs about 4,000 people. The commission interviewed 1,723 people over seven months, as well as 33 organizations and collectives whose testimonies were included in the report.
"One in three (33%) people currently working in CPWs (Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces) has experienced some form of sexual harassment while working there," the report said.
According to the document, 51% of parliamentary employees have experienced bullying and sexual harassment, and attempted or actual rape at least once.
"The Review Survey results indicated that people who engaged in misconduct were often 'repeat offenders'. Specifically, 66% of those who experienced bullying, and 28% of people who experienced sexual harassment, said that the individual who bullied or harassed them had done the same thing to someone else in the workplace," the report added.
Only 11% of those who experienced sexual harassment filed complaints. The rest of the victims remained silent out of fear of losing their jobs.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, presenting the report to the parliament, said that the government needs practical and cultural changes to make Parliament a safer place to work.
