Peta Mayer

A supermarket worker with an intellectual disability told the Commission in a consultation about two customers who tried to ‘pick me up’ because they thought ‘I’m an easy target’. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

2/2 questions in relation to where I was in my menstrual cycle, having my dress unzipped from behind whilst standing in a group of colleagues, to physical sexual assault whilst travelling with a senior male colleague for work.' @AusHumanRights #AHRC

1/2 Another victim told the Commission about the range of behaviours she experienced: The sexual harassment I was exposed to ranged from everything from comments in relation to my attire and appearance … @AusHumanRights #AHRC

One worker said she had her ‘shirt pulled up for a tit inspection [and had been] bent over a desk forwards and backwards’, while another said she was subjected to ‘degrading acts daily … each year, the acts became more violent’. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

Other victims told the Commission they were hugged for uncomfortably long periods of time, given unwanted massages, ‘repeatedly groped by male co-workers’, slapped on the bottom, and felt up their skirts. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

A number of submissions described sexually explicit or indecent behaviour by co-workers or others in the workplace. EG an incident where a worker’s colleague entered a room, ‘casually chatting’ with his ‘testicles hanging out of his fly’. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

(cont.) I advised my employer and provided evidence and they refused to take appropriate action. In fact, they believed the perpetrator when he said I was a scorned woman and was making it all up. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

Another worker said that the harasser had ‘admitted to monitoring my premises after hours’, while yet another described being stalked by a male colleague with whom I formerly had a personal relationship. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

One worker told the Commission the harasser had accessed her human resources file to obtain information about her, including her personal contact details. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

Others described finding sexually explicit objects or material in their work station or other places where they would find it, including pornographic images, semen and pubic hair. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

A wide range of behaviours fell into the category of intimidating, humiliating or threatening conduct... many workers told the Commission about the harasser standing too close to them or otherwise violating their personal space. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

One worker said, ‘My boss bought me a “candy bra” for Kris Kringle and in front of the entire office yelled for me to put it on and could he have a bite of it while it was on and “can I eat your nipple?” @AusHumanRights #AHRC

The Commission heard about the role of pornography in workplace sexual harassment through its reinforcement of ‘ideals of male dominance and female subordination’. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

Several victims told the Commission about experiencing workplace sexual harassment which began with verbal exchanges and ended in rape or sexual assault. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

Another worker described the behaviour of a new co-worker including ‘persistent attempts to engage me with vile questions, suggestions and innuendo’, which escalated into an encounter where the co-worker forcibly pinned her down and kissed her. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

For some victims, verbal harassment was a precursor to other forms of sexual harassment. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

2/2 … they stayed silent or joined in to help [my manager] bully me because they thought it was fun, and they enjoyed being inappropriate in a sexist culture. @AusHumanRights #AHRC

1/2 One worker described the sexually harassing remarks and sexist comments she experienced while working in a male-dominated industry: All of this happened in an open office where everyone can hear everything @AusHumanRights #AHRC