The Western Australian Department of Health and the Australian Medical Association (WA) have teamed up to stamp out sexual harassment in the State’s health system with the launch of the SH-OUT campaign.
SH-OUT, which stands for ‘Sexual Harassment Out’, consists of posters to be displayed in metropolitan hospitals and a website – http://www.sh-out.com.au – explaining what sexual harassment is and how to report inappropriate behaviour.
The campaign is the brainchild of the Taskforce Against Sexual Harassment (TASH) – which was formed between the two organisations following a survey undertaken by the AMA WA that found sexual harassment was endemic across the WA health system.
The results of the survey, conducted in 2016, found that:
- Nearly one-third of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace;
- Sexual harassment was disproportionately more common in female medical practitioners;
- Female Registrars encountered the most sexual harassment; and
- The reporting rates for sexual harassment were woefully low, indicating a lack of confidence in the reporting procedures offered by employers.
The SH-OUT campaign and TASH both advocate for a zero tolerance approach toward sexual harassment in the WA health system.