On International Women's Day (March 8), the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS), the National Health Commission and four other departments issued a document on the elimination of sexual harassment (against women employees) in the workplace, and a document on special labor protection for women employees in the workplace. The documents, the first of their kind in the country, are intended to regulate and guide (how to formulate) rules and regulations for employers, and to ensure the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women is implemented meticulously in the workplace.
According to an official with the department of labor relations of MHRSS, the document on the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace, composed of 20 articles, defines sexual harassment behavior, and it includes the contents of employers' public commitment to zero tolerance for sexual harassment, publicity and training (on preventing sexual harassment), reports and complaints by employees, investigations and handling of sexual harassment cases, and trade union's participation in supervision (of employers' efforts in the prevention and elimination of sexual harassment).
The document also instructs employers to keep confidential the names of whistleblowers and complainants, and to also keep confidential details of investigations. It also requires employers to pay attention to the protection of privacy rights, and to avoid secondary harm to victims through the adjustment of the offenders' work posts and/or other measures.
The document on special labor protection for women employees in the workplace, composed of 26 articles, enumerates the protection of women employees — in terms of maternity, labor and employment, pay and benefits, and occupational safety and health — in the workplace.
(Women of China English Monthly April 2023 issue)
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