Incredibly even in 21st century workplaces, the battle to end sexual harassment still goes on. Confusingly the workplace safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not see workplace sexual harassment as a workplace health and safety issue. A strange position to maintain when sexual harassment has a huge impact on workers mental and physical health. The HSE prefers to see this as an equality and human rights issue even though they are ill equipped to deal with the scale of this problem.
The Hazards campaign believes it is very much a safety issue and that prevention and deterrents will go a long way to making workplaces safer and more inclusive. That's why today Hazards joined forces with unions, NGOs and the Workers Policy Project on their high profile campaign - End Not Defend. It is clear that trying to fix the problem after it has occurred is too late, the damage is done. The physical and psychological impact of sexual harassment cannot be understated - it wrecks lives, careers, families and should be ended, not defended by anyone.
Campaigning outside the HSE head office in Liverpool today voices were heard loud and clear.
The equation is simple, if you leave work in a worse state than when you arrived then the workplace safety regulator should know about it. If the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) records it they can see the scale of the problem, act on it, stamp it out and deter others.
End Not Defend.
Find out more about the campaign from the Workers Policy Project: workerspolicyproject.org