Latest news with #sexualHarassment
South China Morning Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Better to be a dog': Hong Kong lawmakers call for women-only areas on transport
Lawmakers have criticised the government's reluctance to introduce women-only areas on trains and buses in Hong Kong, questioning why they are not given the same privileges as those within the special travel scheme made for pets. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung dismissed the idea of establishing designated zones for either sex on Hong Kong's public transport system during a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, citing potential disruption to operations. In response to a question from lawmaker Lam San-keung, who enquired about setting up such zones to prevent sexual harassment, Tang said that compartments exclusive to either sex would present challenges to passenger flow management on train services. He added that implementing such zones on buses was not viable due to the small size of bus carriages, which would affect boarding and alighting efficiency. According to Tang, the police received 141 reports of sexual assaults or indecent filming on public transport premises, such as compartments and stations, in the first five months of this year. This accounted for 14 per cent of all cases reported in such locations. The number of sex-related police reports on public transport premises increased by more than 100 cases in 2022 to 374, compared to the previous year. The figure rose to 383 in 2023 before decreasing to 360 last year.
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Gregg Wallace sacked as MasterChef presenter, says BBC News
Gregg Wallace has been sacked as MasterChef presenter following an inquiry into his alleged misconduct by production company Banijay, BBC News has reported. The 60-year-old had stepped away from hosting the BBC cooking competition last year after a number of historical complaints came to light. There have been fresh claims about the TV presenter from 50 more people to the corporation including allegations he groped one MasterChef worker and pulled his trousers down in front of another, BBC News said. A university student has claimed he reached under her skirt and pinched her bottom in a nightclub, and a junior worker alleged he dropped his trousers in front of her while he was not wearing any underwear. READ MORE Production firm Banijay previously said Wallace is 'committed to fully co-operating' with the external review while his lawyers have previously strongly denied 'he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature', according to BBC News. BBC News said it has not seen the final Banijay report but it is understood the presenter has been sacked. Earlier on Tuesday, the former greengrocer claimed he had been cleared of the 'most serious and sensational accusations' against him in advance of the report examining his alleged misconduct. In a statement posted on his Instagram account , he said: 'I will not go quietly. I will not be cancelled for convenience. I was tried by media and hung out to dry well before the facts were established. 'The full story of this incredible injustice must be told and it is very much a matter of public interest.' Wallace started out as a greengrocer before he shot to fame fronting BBC shows including Inside The Factory, Supermarket Secrets, as well as MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals. The most recent series of MasterChef: The Professionals continued to air last year amid allegations against Wallace, but two MasterChef celebrity Christmas specials were pulled from the BBC's schedule in December 2024. At the time, UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said she would look to impose new standards in the creative industry amid the allegations. A BBC spokesperson said: 'Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. 'We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.' Banijay UK declined to comment on Wallace's comments. - PA
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Non-disclosure agreements gagging workers to be banned
Employers will be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace sexual misconduct or discrimination, the government has said. An amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is expected to become law later this year, will void any confidentiality agreements seeking to prevent workers from speaking about allegations of harassment or discrimination. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it was "time we stamped this practice out". The use of NDAs to cover up criminality has been in the headlines ever since Zelda Perkins, a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul and now convicted sex offender, broke her agreement to accuse him of abuse. More recently, the now deceased Mohamed Al Fayed, who used to own Harrods, was accused of deploying confidentiality clauses to silence women who accused him of rape and abuse. An NDA is a legally binding document that protects confidential information between two parties. They can be used to protect intellectual property or other commercially sensitive information but over the years their uses have spread. Ms Perkins began campaigning for a change in the law more than seven years ago when she spoke out against Weinstein. She now runs the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK and said the amendment marked a ''huge milestone'' and that it showed the government had ''listened and understood the abuse of power taking place". Though she told the BBC's Today Programme: "Let's see what comes out in the actual details". She said "the real horror" of NDAs was that "the law protected the powerful person in the room, not the victims of a sexual crime". Ms Perkins said many of these agreements designed to silence victims would be unenforceable in court but they work because many victims do not know that. "Because of the nature of an NDA, no-one gets to see it. So they can say anything to make the victim afraid to speak," she said. The change in the law would bring the UK in line with Ireland, the US, and some provinces in Canada, which have banned such agreements from being used to prevent the disclosure of sexual harassment and discrimination. Employment rights minister Justin Madders said there was "misuse of NDAs to silence victims", which he called "an appalling practice". "These amendments will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden, allowing them to get on with building a prosperous and successful career," he added. Peers will debate the amendments when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Lords on 14 July and, if passed, will need to be approved by MPs as well.
BBC News
07-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Workplace misconduct and discrimination NDAs to be banned
Employers will be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace sexual misconduct or discrimination, the government has amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is expected to become law later this year, will void any confidentiality agreements seeking to prevent workers from speaking about allegations of harassment or Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it was "time we stamped this practice out".The use of NDAs to cover up criminality has been in the headlines ever since Zelda Perkins, the former assistant to Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, broke her NDA in 2017 to accuse him of sexual abuse. More recently, the now deceased Mohamed Al Fayed, who used to own Harrods, was accused of deploying confidentiality clauses to silence women who accused him of rape and NDA is a legally binding document that protects confidential information between two parties. They can be used to protect intellectual property or other commercially sensitive information but over the years their uses have Perkins began campaigning for a change in the law more than seven years ago. She now runs the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK and said the amendment marked a ''huge milestone'' and that it showed the government had ''listened and understood the abuse of power taking place".But she said the victory ''belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn't". The change in the law would bring the UK in line with Ireland, the United States, and some provinces in Canada, which have banned such agreements from being used to prevent the disclosure of sexual harassment and Perkins said that while the law was welcome, it was vital "to ensure the regulations are watertight and no one can be forced into silence again".Employment rights minister Justin Madders said there was "misuse of NDAs to silence victims", which he called "an appalling practice"."These amendments will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden, allowing them to get on with building a prosperous and successful career," he will debate the amendments when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Lords on 14 July and, if passed, will need to be approved by MPs as well.
Arab News
06-07-2025
- General
- Arab News
What We Are Reading Today: Agents of Change
Author: Christina Hillsberg Christina Hillsberg's 'Agents of Change' deftly tackles not just the fight for gender equality at the Cia, but the current dilemma the agency faces when dealing with the culmination of a decades-long culture of sexual harassment and assault. In the book, Hillsberg pays a long overdue tribute to the survivors and thrivers, the indispensable groundbreakers, and defiant rabble-rousers who made the choice to change their lives and in turn, changed history.
