China plans law against sexual harassment

AFP  |  Beijing 

is planning new legislation which would ban sexual and make employers responsible for preventing it, reported today.

A wide-ranging draft civil code is set to be completed by 2020. It would then go to a vote at the rubber-stamp legislature, the National People's (NPC).

The proposed regulations would ban sexual and include a definition of what constitutes an offence, the official agency said.

There is currently no legal definition of sexual in and no national regulations on how to handle such cases in schools and workplaces.

Employers would have to "take reasonable measures" to prevent in the workplace and handle complaints appropriately, Xinhua reported. has seen a growing #MeToo movement in recent months as various high-profile individuals face allegations of sexual misconduct.

They include the former of the government-run Buddhist association, who is under investigation for alleged sexual assaults against several nuns under his charge, and a prominent television host.

The civil code was discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the NPC.

Other proposed changes in the draft code include a one-month cooling off period before a divorce, during which either party can withdraw their application, and a possible change to limits on the size of families.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, August 27 2018. 20:00 IST