A former minister has revealed she has experienced sexual harassment on “numerous occasions”.
Maria Miller, chair of the Commons’ Equalities Committee, said the incidents were “too numerous to give an example” as she claimed the behaviour was still rife in “male-dominated industries”.
The former Culture Secretary did not spell out where the incidents took place but hinted it may have been in Parliament.
Asked whether she had personally experienced sexual harassment on Channel 5 News, the Tory MP said: “Of course, we all have.”
She added: “I probably speak pretty bluntly to people and it’s not something I would tolerate. But I think perhaps if you haven’t got that level of self-confidence then you won’t deal with it.
“I think you and I would agree that sexual harassment will happen on a very regular basis to women in the workplace. I mean it would be too numerous to give you an example.
“But I do think that it’s something that particularly in very male-dominated industries, then women are still experiencing this. We should not talk about it in the past tense.”
She told 5 News as part of a campaign highlighting everyday harassment that headteachers needed to take a “hard look” at what is happening in their schools.
“At the moment I think it’s being written off as being that child’s play and it’s simply not that,” she said. “It’s a crime and it needs to be reported.”
It comes as a slew of allegations against the Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein emerged.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Theresa May announced a shake-up of sex eduation with relationships lessons to be made compulsory in all schools.
Miller – who fought to bring in the changes to the curriculum – said the lessons would help kids understand mutual respect and how to form relationships with their peers.
Ministers have previously faced sharp criticism for failing to do enough to protect young teenagers from being harassed in their own schools.