KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Causes for Cover-Ups of Sexual Harassment in Public Offices and Suggestions

 for Improvement: With Focus on Central and Local Governments

 

Deuk-kyoung Yoon
Mi-young Gu
Jeong-hye Kim

 

The study aimed to examine obstructive factors to reporting sexual harassment incidents in public offices and possible ways to handle these incidents appropriately without covering them up.

In the study, laws and measures related to sexual harassment in public offices as well as the current status of sexual harassment incidents were examined. In addition, an analysis of the problems in handling these incidents and causes for concealment in public offices was made, as well as suggestions for possible improvements in laws and measures related to sexual harassment in these offices. The research was carried out using such methods as literature study, in-depth interviews with nine public officials in central and local governments who had dealt with sexual harassment incidents, and consultative meetings with experts.

As a result of the study, a compulsory designation of key essential items in the standard guidelines for the prevention of sexual harassment was suggested as a way to improve relevant laws and guidelines. As possible ways to improve the operation of laws and measures, the following suggestions were made: development of active measures to improve the awareness and attitude of managers regarding sexual harassment incidents; introduction of various education programs for the prevention of sexual harassment; expansion of education for officers in charge of handling cases of sexual harassment and development of a detailed manual for dealing with such cases; promotion of participation by external experts in the overall processes of handling these incidents; development and distribution of a manual on how to protect sexual harassment victims and their privacy; and reinforcement of regulations against concealment of sexual harassment.