Republic Act 7877

Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995

Sexual harassment is a growing problem in our modern day society.  Although none of the
articles we read explicitly mentioned this, cyber harassment is on the rise with the use of social
networking sites and instant messaging. Sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in
public spaces is an everyday occurrence for women and girls around the world - in urban and
rural areas in both developed and developing countries.

Before the passage of Republic Act 7877 also known as the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995
Philippine laws, including the labor code were silent on sexual harassment. Women subjected to
unwanted sexual advances in the workplace, though, had recourse to legal relief by citing other
offenses such as “acts of lasciviousness” and “slander by deed”

Republic Act No. 7877, or the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995 (RA 7877), is the governing
law for work, education or training-related sexual harassment. RA 7877 states that “work,
education or training-related sexual harassment is committed by an employer, employee,
manager, supervisor, agent of the employer, teacher, instructor, professor, coach, trainor, or any
other person who, having authority, influence or moral ascendancy over another in a work or
training or education environment, demands, requests or otherwise requires any sexual favor
from the other, regardless of whether the demand, request or requirement for submission is
accepted by the object of said act.

RA 7877 mandates that the employer or the head of the work-related, educational or training
environment or institution must provide the procedures for the resolution, settlement or
prosecution of acts of sexual harassment. The employer must create a committee on decorum and
investigation of cases on sexual harassment. In the case of a work-related environment, the
committee shall be composed of at least one (1) representative each from the management, the
union, if any, the employees from the supervisory rank, and from the rank and file employees.

In order for our nation to combat those who believe that they are more powerful than others and
because of that can take advantage of them need to be alerted, through the law, that there is
someone or something (the police) out there that is stronger then them and that these people can
make the harassers life miserable for as long as they’re alive.