Fortescue Metals Group has earned a White Ribbon Australia accreditation, marking it as a safe and respectful workplace against violence towards women.
The company was required to meet 15 criteria under three standards to achieve this, collaborating with community service organisation Communicare which facilitated the program on site.
A polling report by Essential Research, commissioned by White Ribbon Australia, found that young Australian men were the least likely to recognise both physical and emotional abuse as domestic violence in 2020.
White Ribbon Australia director Brad Chilcott said violence against women would impact on employees’ health and safety, as well as their wellbeing and productivity.
“It also has a negative impact on workplace culture, organisation reputation and bottom-line profit and loss,” he said.
Fortescue chief operating officer and White Ribbon community partner Greg Lilleyman said that the accreditation process helped ensure Fortescue team members were strong advocates, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address family and domestic violence and provide support to those experiencing it.
“It is an honour to be recognised as a White Ribbon Australia accredited workplace and to play our part in responding to and ending violence against women,” Lilleyman said.
“As a leader in the mining industry, we have a responsibility to speak out against family and domestic violence. Driven by our culture and values, we are committed to creating a workplace where every team member is safe and to positively contributing to social change in our community.”
White Ribbon Australia is part of a global social movement that aims to eliminate gendered violence.