Digital Desk: After a third revision and considerable public
feedback, legislation aimed at providing women in China with more excellent protection
against gender discrimination and sexual harassment at work was introduced to
China's parliament on Thursday.
The amended regulation comes at a time when campaigners are
concerned about increased official discourse about the importance of
traditional women's roles, as well as what some regard as setbacks for women's
rights and increasingly restricted attitudes toward abortion.
However, it is unclear how far such more conservative beliefs
will be represented in the amended statute.
The statute protecting women is being changed for the first time
in nearly 30 years. The proposed "Women's Rights and Interests Protection
Law" was submitted to the National People's Congress Standing Committee
(NPC).
The newest draught has not been made public, but tens of
thousands of people have submitted comments for what they would like to see in
it, according to the NPC's website.
"Strengthens the protection of the rights and interests of
vulnerable groups such as poor women, elderly women, and disabled women,"
according to reports.
Employers will be held accountable if their employees' labor and social security rights and interests are infringed, and blocking the rescue of trafficked and kidnapped women will be designated as a crime.
According to sources, local authorities' role in rescuing trafficked and abducted women will also be defined.
Images of a woman in chains uploaded online earlier this year sparked outrage. They sparked debate about how to handle human trafficking, particularly in rural areas where the problem has been documented for years.
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