• the impacts (particularly longterm) of workplace sexual
harassment on individuals,
businesses and society more
broadly and the economic costs
of workplace sexual harassment
• the effectiveness of strategies for
the primary prevention of sexual
harassment.
(iii) Prevention outside the workplace
To prevent workplace sexual harassment,
primary prevention initiatives must
not only address the drivers of sexual
harassment in a workplace context but
also in society more broadly.
Sexual harassment is recognised as a
form of gendered violence. The social
norms, structures, attitudes and practices
that drive violence against women are
the same drivers that enable sexual
harassment. Violence against women
encompasses physical violence and other
forms of gender-based harm including
psychological harm.31
Primary prevention refers to initiatives
that target the whole population and
aim to transform the key drivers of
violence against women, including sexual
harassment, so that the violence or
harassment does not happen in the first
place.32
Effective primary prevention of sexual
harassment requires strategies that
recognise and aim to shift the gendered
drivers that underpin sexual harassment
and that promote gender equality.
This is the approach recommended in
Change the Story: A shared framework for
the primary prevention of violence against
women and their children in Australia
(Change the Story), which provides an
evidence-based framework to guide
efforts to prevent sexual harassment.
Change the Story sets out that:
• violence against women is driven
by gender inequality
• violence against women is
preventable
• the actions that will prevent
violence against women involve
challenging gender inequality
(for example, challenging gender
stereotypes) and promoting and
normalising gender equality in
public and private life
• actions must be taken by
governments, organisations
and individuals in the different
settings where people live, work,
learn and socialise, and must be
tailored to the context and needs
of different groups.33
The Commission heard from a number of
parties, including a joint statement signed
by more than 100 organisations and
academics, that any primary prevention
efforts developed to address sexual
harassment should be informed by the
Change the Story framework.
Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces • 2020 • 23