Studies show that between $35\%$ and $53\%$ of working women have experienced some form of sexual harassment at work. Sexual harassment, as defined in Section $2$ of the Employment Act $1955$ and the Code of Practice on the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in $1999,$ includes any unwanted conduct that is sexual in nature and can be by way of physical, verbal, or gestural actions. The elements required to establish sexual harassment include sexual conduct that is unwanted and threatens the victim's ability to

perform their job. Despite the existence of laws and amendments aimed at preventing sexual harassment, there are still shortcomings in the legal system. For instance, the main deficiency is that only monetary compensation is available to the victim, which may not be a sufficient deterrent. Recent amendments include changes in the law to make it an obligation for employers to take additional precautions to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace, the issuance of a list of disciplinary offences that constitute sexual harassment, and the passing of the Anti$-$Sexual Harassment Act $2022,$ which provides a redress mechanism for individuals who have been sexually harassed. There are hopes for further amendments to impose legal obligations on employers to implement anti$-$sexual harassment policies in their workplaces.

Overall, while there have been commendable amendments to counter sexual harassment issues in the workplace, there are still limitations in terms of employer obligations and responsibilities in implementing anti$-$sexual harassment policies.

Discuss how employer can prevent sexual harassment at workplace.

$(20$ marks$)$