Taipei, April 10 (CNA) More than 1,500 complaints about sexual harassment in the workplace were reported in 2024, after laws making employers responsible for gender-related misconducts took effect in March last year, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Thursday.
The ministry recorded a total of 1,577 workplace sexual harassment complaints between March and December last year, after employers became responsible for notifying local authorities when they receive such complaints from employees on March 8, the ministry said in a statement.
The amendments were introduced to establish the legal responsibility of employers to provide a safe work environment and rules on the handling of sexual harassment, as stipulated in the Gender Equality in Employment Act which came into effect on March 8, 2024, the ministry said.
The Sexual Harassment Prevention Act and the Gender Equality in Education Act were also amended to address harassment outside the workplace, such as schools or in the public sector, according to the sexual harassment complaints procedures published on the ministry’s website.
Of the 1,577 complaints, 354, or 22.4 percent, involved government agencies, while 1,397, or 88.6 percent, were made by women, the ministry said.
Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉), deputy head of the Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment under the ministry, said at a news conference Thursday that 127 individuals lost their job because the complaint made against them was found to be true and severe.
In terms of forms of alleged sexual harassment, 1,172 complaints involved verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that created a hostile or offensive environment, 325 were made about abuse of power, and 12 complaints were made over requests for sexual favors, with some complainants alleging more than one form, the ministry said.
By sector, 21 percent of the complaints were in the manufacturing industry, followed by the public sector (13.8 percent), and the medical, healthcare and social welfare segment (12 percent), according to the statement.
Meanwhile, 60.2 percent, or 949 of the complaints were found legitimate after further investigation, 25.1 percent were not sufficiently substantiated for action to be taken, while the remainder were still being reviewed, the ministry said.
Employers are legally required to take action to remedy a situation once they become aware of the occurrence of sexual harassment, including helping employees to access counseling or other medical assistance, Wang said.
Private sector groups can also apply for subsidies to hold events promoting the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace until April 30, Wang said.
