This critical reform will make workplaces safer for women

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]

We are delighted that today the Worker Protection Bill has passed its final stage in the House of Commons, which means it will become law before the end of this year.

Everybody deserves to feel safe at work but the harsh reality is that too many women don't because workplace cultures allow sexual harassment to thrive. Recent news stories have shown just how deep the crisis runs, and the research backs it up. At a minimum, sexual harassment is experienced by 40% of women in the workforce over the course of their career. Different women experience different rates and forms of harassment. People of colour report even higher rates of sexual harassment while 68% of disabled women and LGBTQ+ workers have experienced workplace harassment.

Fawcett is incredibly proud to have led, along with Wera Hobhouse MP and the This Is Not Working Alliance, on bringing in this legislation that will begin to make work safe for everybody.

This work would not have been possible without Fawcett members, who threw their support behind this critical reform. Join today. ([link removed])
Read Fawcett's full statement ([link removed])
What is it?

This law will create a 'preventative duty': a requirement that employers prevent sexual harassment from happening in their workplaces and moves us from a culture of a culture of redress to one of prevention. This means clear policies, training, and proper and impartial investigations into reported harassment.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission will be able to take enforcement action against firms who breach this duty, and businesses will be liable to individuals as part of wider sexual harassment claims at an employment tribunal.

Find out more ([link removed])
[link removed]
How did we get here?
This change would not have been possible without the Fawcett members who wrote to their MPs and threw their support behind this critical reform. Here's how we did it.

✅ In June 2022, we worked with Wera Hobhouse MP to bring forward this Private Members Bill ([link removed]) and campaigned for it alongside our members and allies.

✅ In February 2023, we published this statement ([link removed]) along with members of the This Is Not Working Alliance in response to attempts to dilute the bill.

✅ After campaigning from Fawcett and our allies, the bill moved to the House of Lords ([link removed]) in March 2023.

✅ Fawcett and members of the alliance publish this statement ([link removed]) in April 2023 when it appeared the bill might fall.

✅ Fawcett members turn out in their hundreds for this Write To Your MP action ([link removed]) later in April, urging representatives to help us win these protections for women.

✅ Today, thanks to the contributions of Fawcett members, we know these critical protections for women will become law before the end of the year. ([link removed])
[link removed]
Preventing workplace sexual harassment
Progress like this takes time. Here's just some of what Fawcett's been doing in recent years to bring us closer to today's milestone and make our workplaces safer for everybody.

✅ Read our landmark 2018 Sex Discrimination Law Review ([link removed]) , which includes an examination of the issue of workplace sexual harassment

✅ Read our 2021 report Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace ([link removed]) , which outlines how we need to rethink our approach to prevention of sexual harassment

✅ Download the Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Employer Toolkit ([link removed]) , a free resource supporting employers to change the culture in their own workplaces

✅ Read more about our plans to make workplaces that work for women in the lead-up to 2024's general election. ([link removed])
[link removed]
Join our movement
We've come a long way in 150 years, but we still have a long way to go.

Fawcett members form a crucial voice, guiding and supporting the Fawcett Society to have the impact that we do. Together, we are fighting for some of the biggest issues impacting women today: we tackle misogyny; we campaign tirelessly for equal pay; we raise our voice for equal representation in positions of power; and we challenge attitudes about gender stereotypes.

Without Fawcett members, reform like we've seen pass through Parliament today simply isn't possible.

Join us and be a part of the movement making a society where women and girls are truly free to fulfil our potential, creating a stronger, better, happier future for us all.

Join today ([link removed])

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 The Fawcett Society, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up to the Fawcett Society newsletter. Read about how we use your data here: [link removed]

Our mailing address is:
The Fawcett Society
Unit 2.E.11 Rich Mix
35-47 Bethnal Green Road
London, E1 6LA
United Kingdom
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.