China's first guideline for preventing and controlling sexual harassment – "Shenzhen City Guide to Preventing Sexual Harassment" – was issued on Wednesday by Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province.

The guide, jointly issued by the Women's Federation, the Education Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and other nine departments of Shenzhen, refines the provisions of the Civil Code on the prevention and control of sexual harassment, clarifies the concept, manifestations, and related system measures of sexual harassment.

It defines sexual harassment as an unwelcome infringement that violates the will of others by using words, text, images, physical behavior and some other ways that may offend, coerce, or humiliate victims or leads them to suffer psychological harm, feelings of hostility, or cause an unfriendly work (study) environment.

The guide is currently applicable to government departments, enterprises, schools, and other related units and has pioneered the prevention and control of sexual harassment work mechanisms. It requires these units to establish a department for prevention and control of sexual harassment, formulate a system for prevention and control of sexual harassment, public service announcements, and training on prevention of sexual harassment.

Perpetrators will face different levels of disciplinary sanctions depending on the severity of the circumstances, according to the document.

The prevention of sexual harassment in public places, such as buses, subways, shopping malls and theaters, can be implemented by reference, and it is stipulated that public places such as subways and buses should post sexual harassment awareness signs in obvious places, and publicize the hotline for handling sexual harassment complaints.

"Sexual harassment requires not only judicial punishment after the event but also beforehand prevention," said Liu Cheng, an expert from the country's National Working Committee on Children and Women under the State Council, adding that the Shenzhen guide clarifies the subject of prevention and transforms the prevention of sexual harassment from private incidents to the joint responsibility of personal and public institutions.

"The promotion of the establishment of a set of procedural and highly operational mechanisms can stop sexual harassment at the initial stage and effectively solve the problem of difficult judicial evidence collection," Liu said.