在2006 年两会即将开幕之际,全国两会上代表委员们的议案提案,成为网友们着为关注的话题。其中,《妇女权益保障法》修改案中的"反性骚扰",就是论坛里的热门。《反性骚扰法》的法律框架包括性骚扰的法律概念和基本界定,立法的依据和目的;确认性骚扰的法律要素、损害赔偿、举证责任、赔偿责任等内容。
请看《中国日报》的相关报道:The proposed amendment to the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Women has recently been the subject of intensive media attention. The amendment states unequivocally that it is illegal to subject women to sexual harassment, and also urges enterprises and government institutions to take steps to prevent the occurrence of sexual harassment.
报道中的sexual harassment就是时下引起公众关注的"性骚扰"。Harassment可以指抽象意义上的"骚扰;扰乱",也可以用来形容具体"惹人厌烦的事件",如:He is chafed by the harassments of travel,句中的harassments就是强调旅途中所碰到的一件件烦心事。Harassment的动词形式是harass,指to make worried and unhappy by repeated raids(不断的侵扰,引起对方不快),举个例子:I feel rather harassed by all the pressures at the office( 办公事务的压力使我深感烦恼)。
值得注意的是,在韦氏字典中,sexual harassment的英文解释是uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct directed at a person because of his or her sex,看来"性骚扰"并不一定是男性对女性。或许这就是为什么有人士认为,反性骚扰法规既得规定"男性不得对女性进行性骚扰",也得规定"女性不得对男性进行性骚扰"的原因吧。