This was revealed in a White Paper issued by the National Human Rights Commission, Wednesday, after analyzing a total of 1,209 sexual harassment charges filed from 2001 till June this year.
As many as 50.3 percent or 644 cases were in workplaces, the largest number, followed by office outings at restaurants or bars with 19.6 percent or 251 cases and out of office trips with 3.2 percent.
Some 36.3 percent of the victims were in their 20s, the largest portion, followed by those in their 30s with 25.3 percent and those in their 40s with 12.6 percent. This indicates that younger women are major victims as they are weak in coping with harassment.
As many as 80.2 percent of the sexual harassment was by mid-level managers against low-level workers, meaning that it mainly takes place in power relations.
Sexual remarks were the major type of harassment at 36.4 percent or 419 cases, followed by unwanted touching at 33.8 percent and physical sexual harassment at 30.7 percent.
Among the complaints were the many serious sexual jokes by colleagues; asking how the victims felt about strip shows at bars; or whether they had any sexual experience.
A primary school teacher filed a case that the principal of the school read obscene jokes prepared in a note for about three hours in a bus on their way to a workshop.
The White Paper also details why sexual harassment needs to be regulated; how related laws must be changed; what constitutes sexual harassment; and how to prevent it.
This is the first general report on sexual harassment, although the commission has published a collection of cases ordering offenders to correct harassment every year.