The Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace introduced late last year is aimed at providing guidelines to employers on the establishment of in-house mechanisms to prevent and eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace.

Within the context of this code, sexual harassment in the workplace includes any employment-related sexual harassment occurring outside the workplace.

Situations under which such employment-related sexual harassment may take place include work-related social functions, conferences or training sessions, over the phone and through electronic media.

The code outlines a comprehensive in-house mechanism that employers are encouraged to establish at the workplace, policy statement on sexual harassment, the establishment of a complaint or grievance procedure to deal with each problem as and when it arises, disciplinary rules and penalties for offenders, as well as protective and remedial measures for victims. It however, does not stipulate any definite punitive guidelines on offenders.

Sexual harassment refers to sexual conduct which is unwanted and unwelcomed to the recipient. It is also a sexual conduct which is imposed on and unsolicited or unreciprocated by the recipient.

Sexual harassment encompasses various conducts of a sexual nature which can manifest themselves in five possible forms, namely, verbal, non-verbal/gestural, visual, psychological and physical.

Since the implementation of the code is voluntary, it has failed to receive much response from workplaces. Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn recently said that only 10 companies have adopted the code since its introduction.