China's First Sexual Harassment Case

(Beijing, China) It's nice to see Chinese women starting to get some protection in this area.

A Chinese man has been given five months in detention for kissing a female colleague against her will, a local newspaper said on Wednesday, the first time punishment has been meted out under a new sexual harassment law.

The man, a manager surnamed Liu, invited one of his new female staff into his office in southwestern China's Sichuan province to ‘discuss work matters’, but then told her he wanted to be her boyfriend, the Beijing News said, citing a local newspaper.

When the women turned Liu down, he turned off the lights, held her by the neck and kissed her, the report said.

‘Miss Chen screamed out and fought back. Colleagues next door heard her and dialed (the police),’ the newspaper said.

Liu was found guilty of ‘using force to act indecently towards a woman’, it added.

By using force, it appears that this is a case of sexual assault, not just harassment.