Australia’s Community and Public Sector Union has released a survey showing that one in six australian public servants has been sexually harassed in the workplace, with only a third choosing to call the police, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
While the Australian government says it will accept all recommendations to improve sexual harassment in the workplace, it has essentially failed to deliver on its promises, which experts and the coalition have criticised.
The report surveyed 3,280 public servants between March 15 and April 15, with 16 percent of respondents saying they had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, 19 percent saying they had seen someone being sexually harassed, and 18 percent of female respondents and 11 percent of male respondents having been sexually harassed at work.
However, only 31 per cent of victims reported it to the police. When asked why they didn’t call the police, 32 percent said they didn’t think the police would investigate the cases fairly; 16 percent said the police wouldn’t change the situation; 15 percent said reporting a report might affect their career development; and 7 percent said it would violate privacy.
Melissa Donnelly, general secretary of the Australian Community and Public Sector Union, said the government and relevant agencies had taken no substantive action on sexual harassment.
“Australian public servants, like other workers, should have a safe working environment.” The Australian Community and Public Sector Union has also issued an outline calling on national public service agencies to take an active responsibility for handling complaints of sexual harassment “quickly, safely and confidentially.”
