Merchant and Maker and The Good Egg to hand out thought-provoking coffee cups for Expect Respect Campaign

Two cafes within the Busselton region are set to raise awareness about workplace sexual harassment in a creative way. Takeaway coffee cups will be handed out to customers at Merchant & Maker in Dunsborough and The Good Egg in Busselton from Friday as part of the Expect Respect campaign. It coincides with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence starting later this month. The cups will display messages including “I meant it as a compliment”, “it was just a joke” and “I didn’t even touch her”. Merchant and Maker owner Anna Momsen said her and her staff were excited about the initiative. “I think it is an awesome opportunity for us,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of thousand cups branded with quotes as part of the campaign, so whenever we’re serving coffees, they’re going to be the takeaway cups and I think that just creates an opportunity for us to have some great conversations with all of our customers about the issue and create awareness.” The Statewide campaign is linked to the Circle Green Community Legal-led Workplace Respect Project, with project manager Heidi Guldbaek saying examples of sexual harassment were often minimised. “But just because it’s often normalised, does not mean it’s OK. Sexual harassment is preventable, and it’s against the law,” she said. “Everyone should be able to expect respect while at work.” The campaign runs until December 10. If you or someone you know needs help, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), or Sexual Assault Counselling Australia on 1800 211 028, the WA Sexual Assault Resource Centre on 6458 1828 or 1800 199 888 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.