The judge in China's first sexual harassment case has recently ruled in favor of the defendant in a closed trial. The lawyer for the plaintiff has not yet decided whether or not to appeal.
According to the ruling handed down by the judge at the Lianhu District Court in Xian, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the plaintiff, a woman in her 30s, could not provide sufficient evidence to support her case.
The plaintiff, named Tong, lodged a lawsuit on October 26 against Dai, her employer for sexual harassment.
In her lawsuit, Tong said that since 1994 the company manager has deliberately touched her body on many occasions at the office while promising her a good job.
Tong accused her employer of asking her to go to a hotel room he had booked.
When Tong's boss was reprimanded, he made things difficult for her and withheld her bonus and allowances.
Angry and upset, Tong had to stay at home. When she tried to return to work, her company refused to give her a job and urged her to withdraw her petition.
According to the ruling, it is difficult to obtain direct evidence in the case and the evidence is hard to be confirmed. In addition there is no law on sexual harassment in China.
Chinese experts suggest amendments to protect legitimate personal rights be added to state laws for teachers, corporations and physicians.
(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2001)
