67.7% Have Experienced Physical Sexual Harassment
97.8% Subjected to Rude or Derogatory Remarks
73.2% Reported "No Appropriate Action" After Reporting Abuse
Eight out of ten caddies working at golf courses in South Korea have experienced sexual harassment from customers, and nearly all have been exposed to verbal abuse, such as being spoken to in a disrespectful manner or subjected to derogatory remarks.
According to the results of the “Survey on the Human Rights and Safety Conditions of Golf Course Caddies” jointly conducted by Assemblywoman Son Sol of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Progressive Party) and the Korean Federation of Service Workers’ Unions, 88.2% of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment from customers, while 67.7% said they had been subjected to physical sexual assault.
Notably, 97.8% said they had experienced disrespectful language or derogatory remarks, indicating that human rights violations occur as a matter of routine.
This survey was conducted online from September 22 to October 2, targeting 93 caddies currently working at golf courses nationwide.
Other types of human rights violations experienced by caddies included verbal abuse and threats (75.3%), having objects thrown at them (61.3%), physical threats (32.3%), and physical assault (12.9%).
Responses to reporting these incidents to employers were also found to be highly inadequate. Of the respondents, 44.1% said “no action was taken,” 26.9% said they were “told to just endure it or the employer ignored the situation,” and 2.2% said they were even “told to apologize to the customer.” In total, 73.2% experienced either inappropriate responses or no response at all.
Article 41 of the current Occupational Safety and Health Act stipulates that if health damage occurs due to abusive language from customers, employers must provide temporary suspension or job reassignment, extend break times, and support treatment and counseling.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency have also established guidelines requiring golf courses to post notices, provide voice guidance for phone reservations, and conduct education on preventing health damage.
However, 44.1% of respondents said their employers took no action to prevent human rights violations by customers, highlighting a significant gap between policy and practice at worksites.
The survey also found that caddies face considerable physical risks at golf courses. When asked to rate the hazards and safety accidents at golf courses on a scale of 1 to 4, “accidents caused by being struck by a ball due to the short distance between holes” scored the highest at 3.48. This was followed by “risk of ankle injury due to uneven terrain on the course” at 3.32, “cart slipping accidents during heavy rain or snow” at 3.2, “being struck by a ball from a teammate” at 3.06, and “being hit by a customer’s club” at 3.01.
Assemblywoman Son Sol stated, “Caddies are not only service providers at golf courses but also workers who endure both verbal abuse and the dangers of lightning strikes. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must establish standards to prevent human rights violations and industrial accidents among golf course caddies, and quickly implement legal protections to ensure these are enforced at all golf courses.”
Meanwhile, caddies are classified as specially employed workers who are not protected by the Labor Standards Act, making it difficult for them to receive legal protection even if they experience sexual harassment or unfair treatment.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
