[Remark] The Complementary Policy Needs Total Complement—Towards “Complementary Policy against Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Public Institutions”

 

 

The Government announced “Complementary Policy against Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Public Institutions” in February 27th. It includes the expulsion of perpetrator, the opening of the Sexual Violence Complaint Center during one hundred days from March, and the establishment of a cross-government council with the Minister of Gender Equality and Family as a chair. However, this is not the time to devise a policy exclusively for the public institutions. It is time for exhaustive, revolutionary, and fundamental measures. The Government does not understand the gravity of this issue. In a recent Blue House petition, more than two hundred people are urging for the mandatory feminist education in elementary, middle, and high schools. To this fundamental measure proposed by the people, the Government does not even respond.

 

 

Let’s take a look at the complementary policy announced. Yes, a cross-governmental control tower is necessary. Yes, we agree the idea of having the Minister of Gender Equality and Family as a chair. Yet, the problem lies on the small size of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Its budget scale is equivalent only to 0.42% of the Ministry of Justice, 1.87% of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and 9.33% of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also lacks human resources to implement policies. The Government announced that it would take measures to the incidents reported in an online platform of the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea, but there is no plan to expand budget and people for implementing the measure. Ministry of Gender Equality and Family cannot work as a control tower without the actual strengthening of its position within the governmental structure, and without more budget and more people.

 

 

Equality Hotline of the Korean Women Workers Association received 672 calls in 2017 about sexual harassment at work. 56.5% of these calls came from small-scale workplaces with less-than-thirty workers. Female workers tend to have jobs at small-scale workplaces. Bosses occupy 60.5% of the perpetrators in workplace with less-than-four workers and 55.6% of the perpetrators in workplace with five-to-nine workers. Within this structure, it is very difficult even to separate perpetrator and victim at work and take actual measures. The first place any governmental policy should turn to is not the most easily manageable sector but the blind spots like these.

 

 

The current procedures for sexual harassment in the workplace have serious problems. The Prosecution Service indicted only 9 out of 2,190 cases reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor from 2012 to 2016. Only 298 cases were punished by the fine. Sometimes, labor inspectors, who are in full charge of the judgement of sexual harassment at work, provoked re-victimization. This is why labor inspectors with gender equality consciousness should be more recruited. The Police and the Prosecution Service are no better than labor inspectors in the workplace. Some victims have heard insulting remarks from the very police officers they had asked for help, such as “Cause you are pretty,” or “Your face doesn’t deserve sexual harassment.” There is urgent need for gender equality consciousness among the people in charge of the whole procedure. The branch offices of the Ministry of Employment and Labor should bring back the Women’s Employment Division that the Lee Myung-bak administration abolished. Problems cannot be resolved without proper governmental organization for discussion and implementation.

 

 

Legal amendment should be seriously considered as well—whether the current period of prescription of a public prosecution is too short or not, whether the current penal provisions are too light or not. We should think hard about why penetrators are not properly punished, that is to say, why social justice does not work. Moreover, we also need to critically question the culture of the entire society. Prevalent sexual objectification in mass media and everyday life protects perpetrators and tortures victims. Why does the Government’s gender equal workplace policy focus on public institution only?

 

 

The Government should understand what is at stake right now. Women’s protests are the second Candlelight Revolution. No more sexual violence should be allowed. Women are ready to change the world. The Government should come up with active and exhaustive measures!

 

 

2018. 2. 27

 

Korean Women Workers Association, Seoul Women Workers Association, Inchon Women Workers Association, Puchon Women Workers Association, Ansan Women Workers Association, Suwon Women Workers Association, North Cholla Women Workers Association, Gwangju Women Workers Association, Masan-Changwon Women Workers Association, Pusan Women’s Association, Kyungju Women Workers Association, Daegu Women Workers Association

 

 

Posted by KWWA
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