In Congress, Fight Sexual Harassment Head-On

Morelia, Michoacán. – In order to establish the clear and necessary procedural mechanisms to prevent, address, investigate and punish acts of gender-based violence in the form of harassment and sexual harassment, and the effective application of measures to eradicate these possible behaviors within the State Congress, the Legislative Plenary approved its Internal Protocol of Action, they said in a statement.
In an Extraordinary Session, the document was voted on that establishes, within its framework, that punishable conduct is considered to be those that are carried out against people, whether for reasons of sex, age, sex-gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or any other that explicitly or implicitly implies any conduct of a sexual nature that generates an environment of intimidation. offensive, hostile, distasteful, degrading, or humiliating.
Also, when it is forced through threats about the loss of some benefit, working conditions or the conditioning of some political or labor right to the person to submit to sexual demands.
As well as, when suggestive, vexatious or unpleasant remarks and obscene gestures are made; when domineering, aggressive, intimidating or hostile conduct is carried out towards a person in order to make him or her submit to his or her sexual desires or interests, or those of one or more other persons; when jokes, compliments, or comments are made about physical appearance; rumors or any kind of information about a person’s sex life are spread; when non-consensual approaches are committed, unnecessary friction; clandestine observation of persons in reserved places; among others.
The Protocol contemplates the creation of a Committee for the Attention to Gender Violence in its Modality of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Harassment, made up of the President of the Board of Directors, who will head; as well as heads of the Political Coordination Board of the Congress, of the Commission of Opinion on Substantive and Gender Equality; the Internal Comptroller’s Office of Congress, which will serve as Technical Secretary; the Superior Audit Office of Michoacán; the State Executive Commission for Attention to Victims; a representative of the academic sector and a representative of the Union of Workers at the Service of the Legislative Power of Michoacán.
The Committee will have to prepare an Annual Work Plan for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence, which will be presented to the plenary for approval and subsequent implementation, in which a pronouncement of “Zero Tolerance” to sexual harassment and sexual harassment will be adopted.
Acts of gender-based violence in the form of sexual harassment and sexual harassment will not be subject to a statute of limitations and the attention to them will begin with the filing of the complaint by any of its modalities, either in person, anonymously or through the Orange Mailbox.
The administrative sanctions that could be imposed range from public or private reprimands; temporary suspension from employment, office or commission; the dismissal from their job, position or commission that they were performing in the State Congress, up to the temporary disqualification from holding jobs, positions or commissions in the public service and from participating in acquisitions, leases, services or public works.

Original source in Spanish