Recommendation 150

Continue conducting awareness-raising activities on human rights, especially rights of women, children, minorities and migrants, to law enforcement officers

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State
Viet Nam
Issue
Human rights education
Population group
Women and girls
Children
People from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
Australian Government Agency and/or Jurisdiction
• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• ​Attorney-General's Department
• States and territories
Australia's Response
Accepts
Australia's Position

The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is an independent statutory body with functions including providing human rights training and awareness raising. The Australian Human Rights Commission has a President and seven Commissioners, including the: Sex Discrimination Commissioner; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner; Disability Discrimination Commissioner; Age Discrimination Commissioner; Race Discrimination Commissioner; National Children's Commissioner; and Human Rights Commissioner.

The AHRC works to support women and girls through the following functions:

  • Investigating and conciliating complaints of discrimination and harassment based on a person's sex in many areas of public life. Developing resources designed to help promote diversity and prevent discrimination in workplaces.
  • Working closely with the federal government to provide independent advice regarding the development of laws, programmes and policies to better protect the rights of women and girls.
  • Working with organisations and leaders across sectors to provide education and to support them in their efforts to achieve gender equality (e.g. in developing Male Champions of Change).
  • Making submissions to parliamentary and other inquiries to identify gender equality issues that may arise in proposed or existing laws and policies.
  • Working within the legal system by appearing as an intervener or as amicus curiae in cases that involve discrimination law or have significant human rights implications.

The Commission is also conducting a number of specific projects to promote the human rights of women and girls:

  • Conducting the fourth wave of the survey on the prevalence of workplace sexual harassment.
  • The domestic violence death review project to build data for a national understanding of domestic and family violence deaths to improve policy responses and prevent future deaths.
  • Monitoring universities' responses to the Change the Course report on sexual harassment and sexual assault.
  • Developing national guidelines for the application of special measures under the Sex Discrimination Act to advance substantial equality between men and women.
  • Working collaboratively with the Australian Defence Force on cultural reform across the army, navy and air force.
  • Leading the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) Project, a national conversation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls to capture their voices with respect to their cultural, socio-economic and personal security.
  • Working with the property and finance industries, government departments, housing organisations and other interested parties, to develop a suite of innovative solutions to address the rising risk of homelessness for single older women. 
  • Focusing on the rights and needs of young parents and their children, with a view to improving access to health, education and employment opportunities, as part of the Young Parents Project.
  • Partnering with human rights commissions and sport commissions to make grassroots sport safe, fair and inclusive for all.
  • Working with Chinese partner organisations, under the China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Programme 2017-2021, to implement programmes and activities that seek to improve gender equality and women's rights in China.

The Australian Federal Police provides diversity and cultural awareness education and training to all new employees upon their commencement. Sworn officers are also trained in diversity, cross-cultural awareness, human rights legislation and Australian Federal Police values covering anti-racism legislation and policy. Religious and cultural diversity, cross cultural awareness and human rights legislation is also integrated into human trafficking and counter-terrorism training. A number of state and territory police forces also undergo cultural awareness and diversity training.

For information on the state and territory policies for law enforcement agencies, visit: