It happens in China too: Sending dirty jokes, SMSes made punishable offence in China province

Those who send a dirty joke, a suggestive text message, a naughty email to their female colleagues in east China's booming province of Zhejiang will have to think twice as now it is legally a punishable offense.

The Zhejiang provincial legislative body on July 26 passed an amendment to its implementation of the country's law to protect women's rights, stipulating that, from September 1, a woman can file a sexual harassment lawsuit against a man if he oversteps the line in conversation or during on-line chat or via text message.

Those who are found guilty of sexual harassment of women will be punished by police or even held criminally responsible, according to the new regulation.

"Women who feel they are being sexually harassed can report their cases to their employers, public security departments or women federations who should take measures to stop the harassment," it states.

"In recent years, the cases of sending pornographic text messages and pictures via cell phones or the Internet are on rise," said Deng Weixia, a law official with the provincial people's congress.

"Thus the legislature has added the new forms of sexual harassment into the amendment in addition to the traditional form of physical contact," Deng said.

But law experts say there are still difficulties in implementing the law as evidence for sexual harassment is difficult to collect.

"Except for long and frequent sexual harassment, it is impossible for the victims to always have video cameras or recorders on their person, which poses problems for future lawsuits," said lawyer Luo Zhonghong.