Public Institutions That Fail to Report Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Cases to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Will Be Sanctioned

Ministry of Gender Equality Reports Strengthened Measures to Prevent Sexual Harassment and Violence in Public Sector at Cabinet Meeting
New Provisions for Heads of Institutions to Protect Victims and Prohibit Disadvantageous Actions Against Victims and Reporters
Disclosure of Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention Education Inspection Results, Universities Show Lowest Compliance
National Intellectual Property Committee, Sahagu Council, Ongjin County Council Heads Did Not Participate

On the 5th, a Cabinet meeting is being held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is pushing forward measures to introduce sanctions such as fines on institutions that fail to report sexual violence incidents occurring in public institutions or fail to submit recurrence prevention plans.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family reported the "Measures to Strengthen Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence in the Public Sector" at the Cabinet meeting.

According to the revised Sexual Violence Prevention Act and the Framework Act on Gender Equality amended last year, national institutions and others are required to report incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family unless the victim explicitly objects. However, there have been cases where some public institutions, including the Sindang Station stalking murder case, have not reported sexual violence or sexual harassment incidents to the Ministry.

In response, the Ministry plans to introduce sanctions such as fines for failure to report incidents and submit recurrence prevention measures by public institutions. It will also strengthen victim protection by establishing obligations for institution heads to protect victims and prohibit disadvantageous treatment of sexual harassment victims and reporters.

The Ministry explained, "A bill to amend the Sexual Violence Prevention Act to strengthen victim protection is pending in the National Assembly, and we will request cooperation from related agencies to ensure prompt reporting of incidents for victim protection. We also plan to enhance publicity regarding measures such as incident reporting and submission of recurrence prevention plans when sexual harassment or sexual violence occurs."

On the same day, the Ministry reported the results of the "2021 Public Institution Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Prostitution, and Domestic Violence Prevention Education (hereafter Prevention Education)" inspection. The public institutions subject to inspection last year included 17,847 entities such as national institutions, local governments, public-related organizations, and schools at all levels.

The implementation rate of prevention education was 99.8%, the same as the previous year. The participation rate of institution heads (99.8%) increased by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous year, and the participation rate of senior officials (93.6%) rose by 0.7 percentage points. The participation rate of employees increased by 1.5 percentage points to 92.9% compared to the previous year. By institution type, local governments had the lowest rate (82.5%), and national institutions had the highest (92.1%).

University student participation was the lowest at 52.7%, up 6.8 percentage points from the previous year. The participation rate of university staff in education was 81.2%, an increase of 4.4 percentage points from 76.8% the previous year. The Ministry is conducting on-site violence prevention education for university students from September to November, with 25 universities participating as of the end of September.

The majority of public institutions have established sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention systems, including ▲preparation of sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention guidelines (99.8%) ▲installation of grievance counseling desks within institutions (99.5%) ▲designation of grievance counselors (99.8%).

Among the 123 underperforming institutions identified in the 2021 performance inspection, half (63) were schools. The number of underperforming institutions decreased to about half compared to the previous year (246). By type, the breakdown was schools at all levels (63), local governments (31), public-related organizations (23), and national institutions (6).

Last year, three institutions did not have their heads participate in sexual harassment prevention education: the National Intellectual Property Committee, the Saha District Council of Busan Metropolitan City, and the Ongjin County Council of Incheon Metropolitan City. Starting this year, the names of national institutions and local governments that did not participate in sexual harassment prevention education have been disclosed, and the mandatory tailored education for senior officials has been expanded to all institutions.

Kim Hyun-sook, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, said, "We will re-examine sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention education and response systems in case of incidents, and strive to set an example in creating an organizational culture free from sexual harassment and sexual violence in the public sector."