Equality and Human Rights Commission statement on the Women and Equalities Commitee's report on sexual harrassment
Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive
| Equality and Human Rights Commission
EHRC welcome the report by the Women and Equalities Committee and are very pleased that they have supported a number of our recommendations including our call for a new mandatory duty for employers to put measures in place to prevent harassment in the workplace.
Everyone has the right to a safe working environment and no one should have to go to work afraid of how they might be treated by a manager, a customer or a colleague. Experiencing sexual harassment is degrading and threatening and if it isn’t dealt with properly it can seriously damage victims’ health and careers.
Our work in this area, recent high profile cases and social movements such as #MeToo have shown the real barriers that stop victims speaking out about the traumatic experiences they’ve been through. This includes a fear of reprisals, the potential impact on their career, and a lack of clarity about who to go to or feeling that that they won’t be taken seriously. We need urgent action to shift the burden from these individuals to employers, who must take robust steps to prevent harassment from occurring and to respond effectively if it does.
We welcome the report by the Women and Equalities Committee and are very pleased that they have supported a number of our recommendations including our call for a new mandatory duty for employers to put measures in place to prevent harassment in the workplace. We are developing a Code of Practice to support employers to do this. This is a necessary first step towards transforming workplace cultures and will ensure that there are consequences for any employers that fail to adequately protect their staff
