Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner, Kate Jenkins, says the current wave of people speaking up about sexual harassment is a good thing because it highlights the prevalence of the problem.
But she is concerned that personal details of complainants are sometimes leaked, and has asked the media to think about the consequences of reporting those details because it could deter others from coming forward.
Speaking to ABC radio on Tuesday, Jenkins said the personal details of the woman who lodged a sexual harassment claim against Barnaby Joyce last week, prompting him to stand down as Nationals leader, should not have been leaked to the media.
The woman’s lawyer told Guardian Australia on Saturday her identity had been revealed by the Weekend Australian on Saturday against her wishes. She issued a statement later on Saturday saying she “never intended for this issue to become public”.
Jenkins said the situation emphasised the importance of confidentiality.
“When people come forward usually they want a complaint kept confidential, they want a fair process, and they often are concerned about both their own reputation and the person they’re raising their complaint about,” she said.
“I think the current wave of speaking up about inappropriate conduct is good in that it’s highlighting the prevalence and harm ... of alleged sexual harassment, but there [are] concerns if things are not kept confidential, and if media reporting is not helpful, that it will have the opposite effect, and it will deter people from making a complaint.
“That’s actually been a big reason why people haven’t spoken up before.”
Jenkins also spoke about a damning report published by the media on Monday, written by the action group End Rape on Campus. The report details decades of institutionalised hazing and misogyny in Australia’s residential university colleges, especially those at the University of Sydney.
The report, called The Red Zone, will be released publicly on Wednesday. It calls for an independent federal taskforce to investigate abuses occurring in residential colleges.
Jenkins said the report details “much the same things” that her own investigations had found. She said it was “really alarming” to think that young people were entering colleges with toxic cultures.
“My advice is to women, and men actually – men don’t want to live with this experience either – is that at colleges and universities you should be asking questions about what is being done to prevent this conduct, [and] you should use the avenues now that are much more clearly available to raise concerns,” she said.
“I think we have a young cohort who are much more prepared to demand a higher standard at colleges, and I think that’s a great thing.”
She said the #MeToo movement had highlighted the extent of the problem of sexual harassment and demonstrated that it’s not just about “a few bad eggs”.
“We need to make some cultural change, and I think the movement has started a really important process,” she said.
However, she also said the movement wasn’t faultless.
“#MeToo at its worst really puts people through the distress of being targeted if they raise a complaint; a lot of people don’t want to raise complaints because they feel their reputations are victimised,” she said.
“And for people who have complaints raised against them in a public sense rather than in a fair process, yes, they’ve [become] concerned about the process as well. So that’s the risk of the #MeToo movement.”
