Australian Human Rights Commission
Information for List of Issues on Australia, 29 September 2017
relevant recommendations from the Stop the Violence Project, the 2015
Senate inquiry and the 2016 COAG Report.
Information on progress towards a national response to violence against
women in institutional and disability accommodation settings.
Information on legal protections to prevent sterilisation of women and girls
with disability without consent.
Information on the provision of adequate resources for accommodation
and support services for women and girls with disability experiencing
violence.
3.4
Sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace and
in university settings
21.
In 2012, the Commission’s national telephone survey on workplace sexual
harassment found that 21% of people in Australia had been sexually harassed
since the age of 15, with the majority (68%) experiencing this harassment in
the workplace.27 The survey also found that sexual harassment affects more
women than men. One-third of women (33%) had been sexually harassed
since the age of 15, compared to 9% of men.28
22.
The Commission commends the Government for funding the Commission’s
2017 survey, currently underway.
23.
The Commission conducted a national survey on sexual assault and sexual
harassment in Australian universities and released the findings in 2017
(Change the Course report). The Commission found that 51% of all university
students were sexually harassed on at least one occasion in 2016, and 6.9%
of students were sexually assaulted on at least one occasion in 2015 or
2016.29
Issues for consideration in the LOI:
Information on efforts to ensure there are adequate protections in place to
address sexual harassment in the workplace, with consideration of the
identified strategies in the Commission’s 2012 survey report and the
forthcoming outcomes of the 2017 survey.
Information on the Australian Government’s engagement with universities
on the implementation of the Change the Course report recommendations
to reduce the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment in
Australian universities.
3.5
24.
Health and wellbeing of women and girls
The rate of suicide in women and girls is increasing, and reached a 10-year
high in 2015 at a rate of 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people. Differences between
males and females are most apparent in the youngest age group, with a
6