The Silence Epidemic: Society's issues entering our workplace.

For over twenty years, I lived in silence about my childhood sexual abuse, burdened by untold stories that shaped my connections with others, stories that remained hidden from view. While I met and exceeded my professional obligations, I curated my narrative to spare the feelings of my family and friends, believing it was the "strong" thing to do.

I continued this pattern in the workplace, staying silent about harassment to avoid stirring trouble. I feared appearing weak and worried that my past trauma would impact my professional life even further.

So, I chose silence until that silence became deafening.

Silence is a problem that affects us all. It enables harmful behaviours to persist and allows shame to flourish.

The statistics are confronting:

• One in three girls experiences sexual abuse before the age of 18.

• One in five women has experienced sexual violence since age 15.

• One in four women has faced violence from a partner since age 15.

• One in three women reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace.

To create meaningful change, we must confront these issues directly. We need to have the difficult conversations that prevent these behaviours from continuing in our society and infiltrating our workplaces.

Where do we start, and how does this end?

It starts by allowing bad behaviour to be spoken about.

It starts with empowering individuals to break the silence.

It starts with forward-thinking leaders who empower people to call out bad behaviour before it harms individuals or the organisation.

As we stand on the brink of change, we must advocate for stronger frameworks that protect individuals and uphold dignity in all its forms.

Together, we can create a culture that condemns harassment while uplifting respect and equality for everyone. I invite you to join me in breaking the silence, amplifying our stories, and fostering a genuine sense of belonging within our organisations.