One in five at Holyrood ‘suffered harassment’
Political Correspondent NICOLA Sturgeon said she was “shocked and sickened by a survey showing one in five politicians and staff at the Scottish Parliament have experienced sexual harassment.
More than 1000 people who work at Holyrood in some capacity took part in the confidential questionnaire.
Of those who responded, 20 per cent said they had experienced sexual harassment or sexist behaviour while working.
The vast majority , 78 per cent, said they had not experienced such behaviour.
The Parliament said a breakdown of the results show that 30% of female staff had said they had experiences sexual harassment or sexist behaviour and 6% of men.
Men in senior positions were overwhelmingly the culprits.
The survey found: “The perpetrators of inappropriate behaviour are predominantly male and tend to be in a position of authority over those experiencing it.”
There was no significant difference in the results between MSPs their staff or others working in the building. Ms Sturgeon said: “Ken Macintosh, Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer, said he was sorry about people’s experiences.
He said: “For an institution which prides itself on openness, inclusivity and on having progressive working practices, a number of the findings make for difficult reading. I am sorry that people have experienced this type of behaviour while working here. I am determined to address this.
“The party leaders and Scot- tish Parliamentary Corporate Body members have seen the results and all accept the findings in full. All have reiterated their strong commitment to tackling these issues and to ensuring a zero tolerance approach is not simply a policy statement but is a daily reality for those who work here.”
The survey found that while knowledge of reporting systems for harassment was high, the ac- tual reporting was low which suggested there was a lack of confidence in reporting incidents.
Mr Macintosh added the Scottish Parliament had a moral duty to take a lead in tackling sexual harassment. He said: “As the nation’s legislature, it is our duty to take a moral and political lead in tackling sexist behaviour and harassment.”
Leaders of the political parties represented at Holyrood said