Students are asking law firms and senior lawyers to take care of them and their dreams
Hundreds of law students marched from Victoria University of Wellington to Midland Park, to campaign for workplaces free of sexual harassment.
The “March on Midland: Rally to End Sexual Violence” comes after serious sexual misbehaviour allegations were made against Russell McVeagh, which has caused others to speak out about their experiences in the country’s legal industry.
The rally was organised students from the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA), Victoria University of Wellington Law Students’ Society (VUWLSS), and the VUW Feminist Law Society (VUWFLS) to seek three specific outcomes.
The students campaigned for Russell McVeagh to be suspended from any further public work pending the completion of the firm’s external review. The students also want the firm to be held to the ethical standard expected from firms that advice the government. Russell McVeagh has picked an eminent public servant to oversee its firm-wide review.
They also pushed for all law firms to adopt a “students’ to-do list,” which includes adopting a zero-tolerance approach to sexual assault and harassment in their workplaces.
The students are also seeking support from the legal profession, their university, elected representatives, and wider community to hear their voices, listen to their stories and stand up for safety in the workplace.
“We deserve to be confident that we will be treated with dignity and respect at work, at university, at home - everywhere,” said Bethany Paterson, VUWSA welfare vice president.
“We want senior lawyers to mentor and teach us, rather than be reduced to objects to stare at and grope. There is no amount of re-wording, re-phrasing, or re-drafting that can justify sexual assault and harassment in the workplace,” said Paterson, who is a fifth-year law student. “We are trusting you with our careers and ambitions, please take care of them and us.”
Indiana Shewen, VUWLSS vice president administration and equity, highlighted the fact that anyone can be a victim.
“We recognise that Māori, other ethnic minorities, gender and sexual minorities and people with disabilities are all impacted differently. Often young women are the victims, but this is not always the case – anyone can be a victim. Every story is important and we stand for all of them,” the fifth-year law student said. “It is clear that sexual assault and harassment are pervasive problems within the legal profession, and not limited to one firm. We are calling for a re-haul of this inadequate culture – we do not accept sexual violence in any form.”
