CSP welcomes further legislation empowering victims of harassment

This comes after a suite of legislation was launched by the UK government, giving back power to women and girls who are victims of violence. 

Commenting on the new measures, Claire Sullivan, CSP director of employment relations and union services, said: 

We must work tirelessly towards a world free of violence against women and girls. 

As a step towards this, we welcome the new proposals which begin to put the power where it should be, in the hands of the women who are victims of stalking and all forms of violence.

The CSP has successfully campaigned alongside other unions to protect workers from sexual harassment. The Worker Protection Act 2023 which came in to effect in October this year places a long overdue new duty on the employer to prevent sexual harassment from taking place in their workplaces.   

Speaking about recent data that has helped to highlight the full extent of the problem, Claire said: 

According to recent figures, six out of ten women have been sexually harassed at work and 80 per cent of those who have been sexually harassed don’t know how to report it. 

In a profession largely made up of women it’s critical that employers ensure they identify and eliminate sexist workplace cultures and fulfil their duty to protect employees from harm.

CSP campaign 

The CSP will be launching a campaign centred around the prevention of sexual harassment next year. The campaign will focus on raising awareness and promoting a safe environment in physiotherapy. 

We want our members to feel safe to report incidents and confident that action will be taken as a result. Our campaign will bring together resources and guidance for members, both victims and witnesses, so that everyone is able to identify harassment and stand together to ensure violence against women and girls is tackled and prevented.