Bicam OKs expanded sex harassment bill

A BICAMERAL conference committee on Wednesday formally passed the reconciled version of the proposed Safe Spaces Act, which will impose heftier penalties for “any unwanted and uninvited sexual actions or remarks against any person” in public spaces.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the bill’s sponsor and author, said the country was is a step closer to “a landmark victory in the fight against gender-based harassment.”

“We are one step closer to enacting a long-sought and long-overdue law that will better protect Filipinos, especially women and LGBT persons, from bigotry and hatred we see rampant in our streets, schools and even workplaces today,” Hontiveros said.

She said the measure would penalize “catcalling, wolf-whistling, unwanted invitations, misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist slurs, sexual comments and suggestions, public masturbation or flashing of private parts, groping, or any advances, whether verbal or physical, that are unwanted and threaten one’s sense of personal space and physical safety.”

The measure expands the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 to penalize acts of sexual harassment committed “between peers and those committed to a superior officer by a subordinate, or to a teacher by a student, or to a trainer by a trainee.”

“This measure will plug gaps in the existing law so that persons at work, school or elsewhere can be confident that they will enjoy protection from all sorts of abusers and harassers — no matter who they are,” Hontiveros said.