A chance to put the house in order
LEADERS in different institutions throughout the world are scrambling to put in place measures that will tackle the scourge of sexual harassment.
Societies are gradually waking up to prevalence of this problem and the suffering it causes.
The Assembly yesterday unveiled the steps it is taking to create a safer environment. We can hope that these measures will make it less likely that people will suffer the trauma of harassment, and that if incidents do occur that the victims will stand a much better chance of securing redress.
There is also a deepening awareness of the importance of ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly when allegations are made. If the Assembly can establish the very best policies it will provide a model for others to follow.
A key role will be played by the Assembly’s Standards Commissioner. At present, this position is held by Sir Roderick Evans, a retired High Court Judge.
If the Clerk of the Assembly receives an allegation that an AM has breached the code of conduct this will be “referred immediately to the Commissioner”. The leaders of the party groups have agreed there will be “a presumption” they will also refer any allegations of breaches of the Code in future to the Commissioner, with the complainant’s consent.
The Assembly Commission – the cross-party body responsible for the running of the institution – will collaborate with the Standards of Conduct committee to develop a “respect and dignity policy”. This will “spell out that inappropriate behaviour has no place in this institution”.
We might have hoped that adults elected to represent constituents in the legislature would already know that, but it is naive to think that some people will not act in distressing and damaging ways when presented with the opportunity. Politics as a career attracts some of the most admirable people of any generation, but history is filled with examples of power-hungry individuals ready to abuse their positions.
Devolution offers the chance to fashion a new type of politics and for this to be meaningful it must involve doing more than replicating Whitehall departments and commissioning new Welsh logos. We need to put principles such as “respect and dignity” at the heart of our democracy so we do not recreate the worst aspects of other political cultures.
One of the key challenges facing Wales is drawing a greater range of citizens into the process of decision-making. Many talented and compassionate people will not stand for election or seek a job in Cardiff Bay if they fear they will be the victims of any form of harassment or misuse of power.
If the Assembly can get its house in order it will strengthen a core pillar or our democracy and give voters reason to hope lawmakers are living by the values they would expect. This is an opportunity for renewal.
It will hopefully inspire leaders of organisations in every sector across Wales to ensure nobody is scared to turn up for work. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%