Good morning and thank you for inviting me to be among you today. Louisa Christodoulides Zannetou, for formulating and presenting the Guide for Employees and Employers on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.
The Gender Equality Commission plays an important role in achieving the goal of the full elimination of gender discrimination in employment.
The Gender Equality Commission plays an important role in achieving the goal of full elimination of gender discrimination in employment. The purpose of the Guide prepared by the Commission is to guide organisations and businesses towards preventing and addressing incidents of harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Harassment and sexual harassment are contrary to the principle of equal treatment between men and women, which is the cornerstone of the existing legislative framework. Gender discrimination is not only found within the workplace, but also in access to employment, vocational training and career development. Effective and dissuasive sanctions are therefore required.
Therefore, when incidents of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and violence are identified, full support and encouragement should be provided to report such incidents without fear of possible consequences.
On the basis of its mandate, the Commission has taken a facilitating role in the process of drafting and adopting a code of conduct to address harassment by employers, and it is worth noting that the Commission, which is under the umbrella of our Ministry, offers free legal assistance, regardless of financial status, to victims of sexual harassment in the workplace who wish to claim compensation from the Labour Court.
Everyone should be aware that the law prohibits retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, so no one can punish complainants in any way.
I am confident that the text of this Guide can serve primarily as a beacon for raising awareness in favour of equal treatment of men and women at work and in vocational training.
An organisation with a clear policy on sexual harassment sends clear messages to employees. This should be the conclusion of today's presentation of the Guide. Both the Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security stand by all employers who want our assistance in developing a strategy to prevent sexual harassment.
In conclusion, thank you again for the invitation, I wish you every success in the practical implementation of the guidelines of the Guide and good luck in your work.
(MX)
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