The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to tackle work-related sexual harassment.
Together, they have launched a new educational course for retail and hospitality sectors.
The course, Retail and Hospitality: Understanding and Eliminating Work-Related Sexual Harassment, comes in the wake of the 2024 Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) report into sexual harassment in the Australian retail industry. This found that nearly half of the female retail workers surveyed and a quarter of the male retail workers surveyed have experienced sexual harassment in work-related scenarios.
The course will focus on instigating systemic change through education and will aim to prevent inappropriate conduct before it has a chance to occur. It will enhance understanding of work-related sexual harassment, and the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra says the results of the ANROWS report highlight the concerning prominence of sexual harassment in the retail sector, and that there has never been a more important time to deliver this initiative.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, and the statistics we are seeing regarding sexual harassment in retail workplaces are unacceptable,” he says.
“As the largest private sector employer in the country, retail has a vital role to play in setting an example and leading the agenda on action against sexual harassment – and this course, in collaboration with the Australian Human Rights Commission – will help retailers do just that.
“With women making up two-thirds of the retail workforce, this is an incredibly important issue for our sector.”
Mr Zahra says the ARA has been working with the AHRC on the course for some time, with an aim to change the approach to sexual harassment from reactive to proactive.
“Our experience with retailers so far has been that they have a very strong appetite to further develop safe and respectful workplaces – but they simply need the resources to make it happen,” he says.
The course outline is available here.