Barristers urge government to launch new policies on sexual harassment at work

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The council’s law reform committee said: “In our experience the types of measures that an employment tribunal would consider to constitute ‘all reasonable steps’ does not accord with what the majority of respondent employers understand as being reasonable, even employers that consider themselves quite ‘progressive’ in terms of instituting diversity measures in the workplace.” Eleena Misra, an employment and equalities barrister who is vice-chair of the committee, said: “The legal protections that currently exist within the framework of the Equality Act 2010 are not having the desired result ie there is still widespread harassment taking place in the workplace. “The #MeToo movement has plainly highlighted the prevalence of sexual harassment, but the Bar Council would not wish for this area of law reform to become anomalous or to impede cohesive reform.” The body also backed the call for a new Equality and Human Rights Commission’s statutory code of practice on sexual harassment – saying it “would give greater clarity to employers to give employers as to what is expected of them in relation to any new duty”. Ms Hunt added: “By strengthening understanding within the sector about what sexual harassment and gender discrimination entails, and ensuring perpetrators are held to account, we hope this will have a positive ripple effect in how legal professionals deal with these types of cases more broadly within the legal system.” A report by the Association of Women Barristers released earlier in the month found inappropriate behaviour “still abounds” in the industry. The study said there were “comments being made by male barristers about the appearance of female barristers and discussing which female barristers they ‘wanted to shag’.” Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Gemma Rosenblatt, of women’s rights organisation Fawcett Society, said: “Recent evidence collected by us shows that women who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace feel the responsibility for dealing with it rests with them and not their employers.