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Tomorrow at the sitting of the house a new anti sexual harassment legislation will be tabled for a second reading by the minister of human development. She spoke more about what this new bill entails and how it will focus on ensuring employers can be held liable in sexual harassment cases that occur within the work space.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development
"We have a new anti sexual harassment legislation coming on for second reading tomorrow and I'm very pleased that we have been able to update the very old legislation that was there from the 1990s so we will do the second reading tomorrow. We expect some input and we expect some exchanges back and forth and we have looked at one of two amendments to the original legislation to make things a little clearer in terms of the responsibility and liability of employers. because when it comes to institutions it could be an educational institution it could be working with a landlord and tenant relationship it can be many many institutions and of course the biggest institution that we know of is government. So the question might arise as to the liability of government where an employee is harassing, sexually harassing another employee. so I want to refer you to look at section 16 and also 18 of the act because the liability of the employer would arise where the employer is aware of what is happening. You can't be liable for something that you don't know about but the act is really signally that in terms of sexual harassment we are very serious. It could be cyber bullying it could be that kind of cyber sexual harassment so we are strengthening it there but the reason I am focusing on responsibility of the employer is it is very much there in the act and so we are not going to put an onus on the employer where the employer doesn't know but where the employer is aware and doesn't take steps to prevent any further sexual harassment that is where liability arises."
