First sexual harassment case gets 5 months' jail

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-24 10:32

Liu Lun, 29, personnel manager of a company in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, was recently sentenced to five months imprisonment for sexual harassment. This gives him the dubious distinction of being the first person to be penalized under the Chinese Women's Rights Protection Law that came into force on Dec 1, 2005.

Liu called Chen Dan on March 11, shortly after she began working at the company, saying that he wanted to talk to her about her job after work hours. When Chen arrived at Liu's office at about 5 pm, Liu lunged, forcibly trying to hug and kiss her. Upon hearing Chen's cries a co-worker next-door called the police, and Liu was caught red-handed and detained.

The local court considered Liu's behavior constituted sexual harassment as defined in the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests, but circumstances dictated that he be sentenced for the crime of indecent assaulting or insulting a woman according to the Criminal Law.

(Chengdu Commercial Daily)