7 February 2018

Wellington takes lead on sexual harassment

Newly-sworn in Southern Ward Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons will start her term mandated to tackle sexual violence in Wellington, with Mayor Justin Lester announcing Cr Fitzsimons as portfolio lead for City Safety.

Ms Fitzsimons, who was elected late last year and sworn in today, will focus heavily on eliminating sexual harassment in the city.

The Mayor says the move demonstrates that the city is serious about ending sexual harassment and violence in the city and points to the #metoo movement as being a powerful wakeup call for all communities to take the issue seriously.

"I have confidence that Cr Fitzsimons will be able to work with the community, businesses and agencies to get real results," the Mayor said.

“We want to make Wellington a city where everyone can go out, have a good time and be safe. We have a vibrant night life and we want this to thrive but creating a safe environment needs to be part of this.”

Cr Fitzsimons says the "endemic nature of sexual harassment is no secret to me, and the #metoo movement has empowered people everywhere to share their stories and demand better, in bars, in workplaces, on sportsfields, #metoo is changing our world and Wellington City Council has a role to play too.”

“I am looking forward to working with sexual violence prevention agencies, the Police, the hospitality industry and all sporting codes to ensure that we are all doing our part in changing the culture so that sexual violence does not occur in Wellington.

“It is not enough to deal with sexual violence on a case-by-case basis or to report on it when it occurs, we must focus on ensuring that it does not happen in the first place,” said Cr Fitzsimons.

Ends

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