Encouraged by the latest #MeToo movement, many alledged victims of sexual harassment have come forward to make accusations, in politics, academia and the workplace. As a result, civil groups have called to amend laws what would require employers to establish transparent, reliable reporting channels, and fulfill their duty to prevent sexual harassment.
According to reports, 80 percent of sexual harassment victims are afraid to file a complaint, especially when offenders are supervisors or have status and power, and there are no third-party witnesses in most cases. Filing a complaint might be not only difficult but also painful, which might not harm offenders, but harm the victims. Establishing a broad and non-threatening complaint system and environment should be the focus of legislative changes.
First, people’s awareness of gender equality should be heightened. Through laws, it should become mandatory for schools at all levels to provide many hours of gender equality education. At work, job training for new employees must include gender equality awareness programs, too, equipping people with general and legal knowledge of gender equality, increase gender equality awareness and reduce sexual harassment cases.
Second, reporting channels should be built with protective systems that sexual harassment victims trust. As sexual harassment often occurs at the victims’ workplace, where supervisors control gender equality committees, it would be diffucult for such a committee to win their trust.
Therefore, an independent committee with members from outside the unit should first be to established. The next step should be to ensure those responsible for receiving complaints are mental health and law experts. Empathy and support and a non-threatening complaint system are more useful than “educating” victims to “bravely” report their sexual harassment cases.
Lin Jin-jia is an attending psychiatrist at Chi Mei Medical Center in Tainan.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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