On 24 November 2025, survivors, trade unionists and legal experts met in Committee Room 20 for the second national parliamentary meeting of the End Not Defend campaign.
Organised by the Workers Policy Project and supported by Unite the Union and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the meeting brought together the TUC, BFAWU, UCU, FBU, NAPO, the Good Law Project, migrant-rights organisations, health-and-safety specialists, academics, and parliamentarians. The meeting heard testimony from survivors, research evidence, and contributions from unions and violence against women and girls organisations.
One survivor said: “Reporting made things worse. My employer defended the perpetrator. I lost my job, my confidence and my health.”
Another: “My employer knew I was scared to report because of my visa. They used that to control me.”
The meeting focused on demanding legal protection for workers from workplace sexual harassment.
The scale of the problem
Government data shows that 1 in 3 workers – 9.8 million people – experience workplace sexual harassment in a single year. This includes 680,000 subjected to rape or attempted rape.
Survivors described PTSD, depression, insomnia, and high blood pressure. 10% leave their jobs. Another 21% want to leave but cannot because of financial pressures or fear of retaliation.
Those most at risk are young workers, migrant workers, racialised workers, disabled workers, women, and any workers overrepresented in insecure work, including those on zero-hours and agency contracts.
Despite this, no regulator enforces workplace protection. This is where perpetrators operate and survivors are abandoned.
Why this is a workplace safety issue
The core argument of End Not Defend is this: sexual harassment is not an HR issue. It is a workplace safety failure.
If a machine is dangerous, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces the law. If asbestos is found, HSE intervenes. If a worker suffers a preventable injury, HSE investigates.
But when the hazard is sexual violence, predatory behaviour, coercion, stalking, or harassment, HSE does nothing.
Sexual harassment at work often involves physical or psychological abuse and has been linked to depression and poor mental health. It is unquestionably an act of violence, and would fall clearly within the definition used by HSE.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is under-resourced and lacks inspection powers. Employers manage harassment internally. HR protects the company, not the worker.
Why police cannot solve this
Some argue that sexual harassment should be handled by the police. The evidence presented in Parliament shows why this does not work.
Survivors reported negative experiences with police:
- 59% said their experience with police was worse than they expected
- 73% reported worsened mental health due to police actions or inactions
Black and Minority Ethnic survivors’ experience of the police was worse than White survivors across all indicators. They were less likely to feel the police looked at all the evidence, made them feel comfortable, or made them feel the assault was not their fault.
The system is failing. Police workload has increased 32% since 2015. Officer numbers have fallen. Successful outcomes in investigations have dropped to 11%.
The police cannot carry this burden, and survivors do not trust them to. Workplace sexual harassment must be addressed in the workplace, through workplace law, enforced by HSE.
A new opportunity in Parliament
Baroness Carmen Smith from Plaid Cymru spoke about the failures of the current system and the opportunity now in Parliament.
Baroness Smith thanked survivors: “Thank you to those who shared their personal stories. It’s hugely important in showing where the law is failing and how it needs to change.”
She explained: “As a young woman in the House of Lords, it’s vital that young women’s experiences are brought into Parliament and listened to.”
During the Employment Rights Bill, Baroness Smith worked with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the Workers Policy Project, and Rights of Women to develop amendments. These aimed to place a legal duty on employers to prevent harassment and violence, with enforcement under the Health and Safety Executive.
The amendments had support but were not accepted. However, Baroness Smith confirmed a new opportunity: “There is a new Government Bill—the Crime and Policing Bill—and the amendments are in scope. They have been relaid. This gives us another opportunity to push forward.”
She explained: “This is about creating a clear structure in which harassment and violence in the workplace are treated as health and safety issues, with workplaces having the training and responsibility to prevent harm.”
Support exists from Liberal Democrats and crossbench peers. Broader cross-party backing is needed.
Building the movement
The coalition includes survivors, unions, legal experts, migrant organisations, academics, safety specialists, and cross-party parliamentarians. This is now a national workers’ movement demanding institutional change.
What needs to happen now
The End Not Defend campaign is calling for:
- Employer prevention duties backed by HSE enforcement
- Psychosocial risk assessments in every workplace
- Extended time limits for survivors to bring cases
- Real consequences for employers who fail to protect workers
- Cultural change driven by law
The evidence is clear. The harm is documented. The solution exists. Parliament must now deliver the legal protection that 9.8 million workers need and deserve.
For more information about End Not Defend, or to get involved with the campaign email: jessie@workerspolicyproject.org