Ople wants gov't personnel abroad covered by anti-sexual harassment law

Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople on Wednesday called on legislators to expand the coverage of the country’s anti-sexual harassment law to include all government personnel stationed overseas.

"Sana po palawakin po ang coverage ng anti-sexual harassment law para maisama ang lahat ng government employees assigned sa iba't ibang bansa mula sa ambassador hanggang sa mga drivers at local hires," Ople told the  senators during the organizational meeting of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers Affairs.

(I hope the coverage of the anti-sexual harassment law will be expanded to include all government employees assigned overseas from the ambassadors to drivers and local hires.)

Ople, a long-term advocate of migrant workers’ rights prior to her appointment, recalled handling various cases of female domestic workers being taken advantaged of by diplomatic officials and other government personnel while taking refuge in embassy-run shelters.

One of them is a case of an ambassador who was charged with sexual harassment ten years ago before the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). She said the case was resolved only last month and the ambassador, who had since retired, was required to pay a fine.

“Second year high school lang ang tinapos nung domestic worker at kinuha siya sa shelter para maging kasambahay noong ambassador kaya clearly very vulnerable ang katayuan niya,” she added.

(The domestic worker only finished her second year of high school. She was hired as an employee of the ambassador so clearly, her situation is very vulnerable.)

Ople further said there is a need to review the applicable laws as Republic Act (RA) 7877 or the “Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995” have stiffer penalties compared to administrative cases in the civil service.

Under RA 7877, sexual harassment in work, education, or training is committed “by an employer, employee, manager, supervisor, agent of the employer, teacher, instructor, professor, coach, trainer, or any person who, having authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in a work or training or education environment, demands, requests or otherwise requires any sexual favor from the other, regardless of whether the demand, request or requirement for submission is accepted or not by the object of said act.”

Violators may be penalized by imprisonment and fines.—LDF, GMA News