Halt to Harassment!
Belgium, Brussels - A new EU Directive that introduces new provisions on
preventive measures against sex discrimination and sexual harassment will come
into force in 2005. Under the law, employers will need to prove that they have
taken all preventive measures against sexual harassment, employers will also be
financially liable for cases of misconduct and the courts will have a freer hand
in awarding financial compensation to abused employees.
(Source: www.cnn.com.)
Duplicate Laws
China - Chinese legislators have begun formulating new laws on human cloning,
gene resources, protection and biosafety. Striking a balance between ethical
considerations and pioneering scientific research and following current
international standards while being mindful of the country's needs are some of
the difficulties faced by legislators. Experts have called on the National
People's Congress to create a committee of specialists in science and philosophy
to ensure that cloning research is guided by a codified set of ethical
principles. (Source: www.isinolaw.com.)
Uploading Pornographic Rules
Japan - Loopholes in the 1999 law have caused Japan to revise its laws regarding
transmission of pornographic material. A new bill, that may include measures
prohibiting the download of child pornography onto disks and passing them to
another person, may be submitted to parliament as early as next January.
(Source: reprinted with permission, copyright Reuters 2002.)
Signalling an Evidentiary Change
Malaysia, Petaling Jaya - To address the issue of protection for child victims
and witnesses, the government is looking at the admissibility of video
testimonies in the area of child evidence. Mah Weng Kwai, Council Chairman of
the Bar Council and Association of Women Lawyers, supports this proposal:
'[Children] are generally frightened when asked to testify in court and more so
when they have to testify against a parent who is accused of sexually or
physically abusing them. ... Video recording may be one good way [of protecting
them]'. (Source: www.thestar.com.my.)
An Ailment of Neglect
UK - The National Audit Office has reported that the National Health Service is
facing a £4.4bn legal bill for medical negligence claims. One of the reasons
for the spiralling costs of settling negligence claims was a series of court
rulings that have increased the scale of awards in negligence cases. Professor
Sir Liam Donaldson, England's Chief Medical Officer, has gathered together
doctors, lawyers and patient representatives to draw up plans to reform the way
clinical negligence claims work.
(Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk.)
Conducting Oneself Professionally
US, New Jersey - In the first major ethics prosecution for the use of runners
(non-lawyers paid to refer business to lawyers) since 1998, the Office of
Attorney Ethics has filed charges against six partners of a law firm, Tomar
Simonoff, for violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, including sharing
legal fees with non-lawyers and for giving something of value to a person for
recommending a lawyer's service. If found guilty, the lawyers may be disbarred
or suspended.
(Source: www.law.com.)