S.Korea accepts sex harassment as 'workplace injury'

[unreal.livejournal.com]

A South Korean woman who suffered repeated sexual harassment at work will be awarded compensation, the state workers' welfare agency said in a landmark ruling which acknowledged her suffering amounted to a work-related injury.

Saturday's judgment marked the first time that suffering caused by sexual harassment has been classed as a workplace injury, and many other victims are now likely to file similar appeals with the agency, the Yonhap news service reported.

According to the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, the woman, whose name was withheld for reasons of privacy, had suffered from unwelcome sexual advances from two men at her company since 2009.

The woman, who worked at an autoparts maker in the southwestern city of Asan for the past 14 years, was repeatedly groped, and also received lewd text messages.

A medical document said she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, experiencing intrusive recollections of the harassment, showed exaggerated startle response and suffered from a sleep disorder.

The National Human Rights Commission earlier recommended that the two male officials should pay a total of nine million won (US$7,725) in compensation.

The victim will be paid for her medical expenses and receive other financial compensation, the welfare agency said.

Source: afp

Comments

[deerlike.livejournal.com]

ia - if they are acknowledging sexual harassment as some kind of "workplace injury", then clearly the solution is to prevent it from happening altogether. Throwing some money at it after the fact is a bit like applying a bandage to a serious wound.

[qrizta.livejournal.com]

"The woman, ..., was repeatedly groped, and also received lewd text messages."

Ugh this makes me sick.

The effects of sexual harassment on the victims are unimaginable. My friend cried really hard on the side of a street right after her butt got poked by a guy in a passing car. Getting poked sounds so simple to a lot of ppl including that asshole who did it to her but no. That caused her such a trauma. It's no surprise that this woman's medical document recorded many disorders considering how she had to put up with it for about 2 years.

[laeryn.livejournal.com]

THIS! A lot of people says "but it's nothing" and it enrages me so much. Sth similar happened to me when I was 14 at a place I used to go often, and I left right away, crying, and never went back. It did hit me real hard for a while, and a friend kept telling me "it was just a bit of groping." Ok, girl, whatever, I don't like boys groping my boobs for fun, but that may be just me.

I don't think I could stand it happening repeatedly, as this woman has :|

[qrizta.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that it happened to you. :(
People have no right to violate anyone's personal space. Sexual harassment is never excusable and justifiable.

[bishieaddict.livejournal.com]

shouldn't these guys get thrown in jail for their crimes?

[asth77.livejournal.com]

this

[very-pinku.livejournal.com]

I think they should be fired.
And I'm glad that something can be done for those who have been suffering.
But still it doesn't make sense for those people to just pay >_<.

[asth77.livejournal.com]

"I think they should be fired."

Tbh, I think at this point, they will be fired.
Or I hope so.

[very-pinku.livejournal.com]

yeah i hope cause some people did get fired or demoted when reporting how they were sexually harassed.
So it needs to happen.

[birdofpray09.livejournal.com]

So basically, what this verdict means, is that SK acknowledged she was sexually harassed, but is saying, 'too bad this is something you have to deal with'.

smh.

[yuki-yang.livejournal.com]

I wish Japan had stricter law towards work place sexual harassment too.
Japanese are seriously passive about this stuff...we accept it -_-
Even my dad...I told him once about this fucker business man who touched my leg during work
my dad was pretty much like "well...yea. It happens..."

Not that my dad like sexual harassment but...Japanese people are very secretive about this stuff...and prefer not to ever bring it up in conversation with ANYONE. Basically... a lot of japanese women accept it as "part of the job" -_-

[miko-nyappy.livejournal.com]

Well it seems like SK is accepting that sexual harassment is an actual problem, step in the right direction

[hellafun.livejournal.com]

more than workplace injury, i think it's better defined as psychological injury/trauma. what a way to sugar coat things. things like this can't simply be solved by monetary compensation, they should address the problem by focusing on the punishing the perpetrators.