Grange tables Sexual Harassment Bill
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, yesterday tabled the Sexual Harassment Bill in Parliament.
The Bill, entitled ‘An Act to make provision for the prevention of sexual harassment and for connected matters’ is intended “to protect women and men whose quality of life is affected by intimidating, hostile, or offensive environments caused by unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favours and crude sexual behaviours”.
The Bill includes proposals for dealing with Sexual Harassment in the workplace, schools, correctional institutions, places of safety, nursing homes, medical and psychiatric facilities, among other places.
Grange said the Bill proposes to “ensure an environment free of sexual harassment as well as mechanisms to deal with the very serious crime”.
The Bill is to be referred to a Joint Select Committee, shortly.
Grange said she anticipates the Bill going through the parliamentary process as quickly as possible as “there are several women and men who urgently need the protections that the Bill is designed to provide”.