o sung wu Quote "is the 'presumption of innocence'"

That is not entirely right in the training of British Police, who have recently had to make changes to training methods which in the past has taught officers to automatically believe rape allegations.

The number of cases that were successfully prosecuted and later disproved is growing, there was one female that over a short period had made rape allegations with 4 different people a number were prosecuted and jailed before they realized what she was doing.

The above relates to Britain but you can bet it to some extent in Australia.

Thanks Steele and Foxy, thanks Steele for telling how it should be, and thanks Foxy for telling how it is.

My experience as a union delegate, and serious sexual harassment in the workplace. Over 10 years ago a young female member, about 20, working in a male dominated enterprise came to me with allegations about not one, but in the end six male co-workers. She detailed the sorts of things that were happening, and how she had handled them, which was she had basically shrugged them off. Things were getting worse, more often and more provocative. Frankly I did not know what to do, I asked advice from an organizer.
I went to the young girl and told her this. What has happened previously is going to be denied, and therefore its going to come down to your word against theirs. but what we can do from here on in, is build a case. I gave her a diary, told her to write in it, the when, where, and by whom, and what happened with every incident from now on, no matter how minor, and keep it to herself (most important). Told her do not attempt to build evidence by trying to instigate, just carry on as you have in the past. As often as possible come to me, tell me what has taken place and I will record our conversation.
within 4 or 5 weeks she had plenty, from minor suggestive comments, to touchy, to finally a flasher, he was the worse, these guys ranged in age from early 20's to about 60. On the Monday I made a written request for a meeting with management, asked the union organiser to attend along with the young victim.

cont

cont

After several meetings/discussions, and fronting 'Fair Work' twice, none of the perpetrators were required to attend, or supply statements, that came from the company representative, an addmission. The young victim ended up with $6k compensation, and a written apology from the company. She chose to leave the job, the only one penalised from the six. was "flasher" who was sacked for proven willful misconduct.
Sexual harassment was admitted, but what the registrar hearing the matter concentrated on was the company's failure in its duty of care to the employee.

SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT 1984 - SECT 28A
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s28a.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=sexual%20harassment

If what some here are implying is true, that sexual harassment covered by the Act is rife and victims have nowhere to go and are likely being re-victimsed by the provisions, then there are hundreds of responsible bureaucrats to be disciplined for shirking their responsibilities and and the ineffective, empire-building Australian Human Rights Commission needs to be de-funded and abolished forthwith.

OSW, when I read: "The Female Eunuch" as a 14 yr old at secondary school, I thought the whole thing was, in a word "unnatural". Later as an young man I saw graffiti written on a wall in the Rocks saying: "My mother made me a lesbian"...underneath which was written: "If I give her a ball of wool, will she knit me one too ?" I took it upon myself & donated as many balls of different coloured wool, (should I say all colours of the rainbow ?) that I could over the years.

We need more lesbians.

In 2006, I sat in the public gallery of the NT Parliament with my 2 sons (then aged 16 & 14), to observe the passing of the Bill ushering in the "lowering of the age of male homosexual consent". In the opposite gallery were the raucous (none too polite in their language) Rainbow Flag Mob. As the Speaker read out the ayes & nays I stood and said to the assorted oxygen thieves below: " What a travesty !" All eyes in the chamber swung up to see me and quite a few then hung their heads, as I knew a few members were actually against it and were planning to cross the floor against the bill.

In later conversations I found out from my then local member, Gerry Woods that "party lines" were to be adhered to, or you lost your seat.

My partner, who works in her capacities for a government department dealing with Sexual Offenders will tell you stories about the sheer amount of false allegations coming before the courts, later to be dropped when the blowtorch of a defence beak begins their line of questioning. I believe in these matters we would do better to adopt the European courts Inquisitorial System and use this instead of the Adversarial System. I'm not saying that we change entirely to the European legal system though.

There was a well publicised case in NZ a few years back where the offender was gaoled, then later acquitted after the complainant recanted her story.

Steele, I suggest you reread my comment. I said that I would leave if I couldn't do anything about it. Nowhere did I say I would be silent.