Time for National Assembly to act to pass anti-discrimination law
Anti-discrimination legislation is gaining fresh traction as a National Assembly petition calling for the prohibition of discrimination based on gender, religion, race and sexual orientation among others has received the support of over 100,000 people. The online petition, which was posted May 24 by a former job applicant to Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., garnered the more than 100,000 signatures, Monday, meeting the condition for the Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee to review it.
The job applicant argued that she was the victim of gender discrimination at a job interview with the company last November. At the time, one of the interviewers asked her if she agreed that women should receive lower salaries than men because women do not serve in the military. In her post, the applicant said, "I realized then that I could become the object of ostracism and hatred at any time."
That more than 100,000 people signed the petition in such a short span of time seems to stem from the broader populace's realization that anyone in our society can become the subject of discrimination and hatred without an anti-discrimination law. The petition is also a wake-up call to the Assembly, reaffirming the urgency of anti-discrimination legislation.
Anti-discrimination bills have been submitted to the Assembly repeatedly since the first was presented in 2007. But most of them have been withdrawn and discarded without proper discussions due largely to the inclusion of provisions outlawing discrimination against LGBTI people, which is opposed vehemently by some Protestant groups. An anti-discrimination bill proposed by the minor opposition Justice Party is currently pending at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Given the people's strong aspiration for enacting a law outlawing every type of discrimination, it's time for the Assembly to act resolutely. In particular, attention is drawn to the country's two major parties that have turned a deaf ear to calls for eliminating discrimination, aware of the backlash from the Protestant community. A society tolerating discrimination against minorities simply for being different is no longer a valid proposition.
Anti-discrimination legislation is gaining fresh traction as a National Assembly petition calling for the prohibition of discrimination based on gender, religion, race and sexual orientation among others has received the support of over 100,000 people. The online petition, which was posted May 24 by a former job applicant to Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., garnered the more than 100,000 signatures, Monday, meeting the condition for the Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee to review it.
The job applicant argued that she was the victim of gender discrimination at a job interview with the company last November. At the time, one of the interviewers asked her if she agreed that women should receive lower salaries than men because women do not serve in the military. In her post, the applicant said, "I realized then that I could become the object of ostracism and hatred at any time."
That more than 100,000 people signed the petition in such a short span of time seems to stem from the broader populace's realization that anyone in our society can become the subject of discrimination and hatred without an anti-discrimination law. The petition is also a wake-up call to the Assembly, reaffirming the urgency of anti-discrimination legislation.
Anti-discrimination bills have been submitted to the Assembly repeatedly since the first was presented in 2007. But most of them have been withdrawn and discarded without proper discussions due largely to the inclusion of provisions outlawing discrimination against LGBTI people, which is opposed vehemently by some Protestant groups. An anti-discrimination bill proposed by the minor opposition Justice Party is currently pending at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Given the people's strong aspiration for enacting a law outlawing every type of discrimination, it's time for the Assembly to act resolutely. In particular, attention is drawn to the country's two major parties that have turned a deaf ear to calls for eliminating discrimination, aware of the backlash from the Protestant community. A society tolerating discrimination against minorities simply for being different is no longer a valid proposition.
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