Employers need to do more to prevent sexual harassment

The frequent sexual harassment scandals exposed on social media have aroused wide public concern.

Although there are some clauses on sexual harassment in related laws and regulations, there should be specific legislation over employers' role in preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. Many believe the suggestion of experts in 2005 that employers take measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, which failed to be adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, could have been one such law. Again in 2012, the experts' suggestion that employers are responsible for preventing sexual harassment in the workplace failed to be adopted by the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet.

But China, along with European Union member states, Central and South American countries and African nations, have agreed to the International Labour Organization's plan to enact a convention on eliminating sexual harassment and violence in the workplace.