Human Rights Commission: "No More Ignoring the Enactment of the Equality Act"... Urges National Assembly to Legislate

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The National Human Rights Commission expressed regret on the 8th that the legislative process for the Anti-Discrimination Act (Equality Act) has not been carried out in the 21st National Assembly and once again urged for its prompt enactment.

On the same day, the Human Rights Commission issued a statement in the name of Chairman Song Doo-hwan, stating, "We strongly urge the National Assembly to promptly hold the Equality Act public hearing, which both ruling and opposition parties have agreed upon, and to start the legislative procedures for reviewing the bill without delay." Four bills containing key provisions related to anti-discrimination have been proposed in the 21st National Assembly. On the 26th of last month, the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee unanimously adopted the plan for the public hearing on the enactment of the Equality Act.

The Human Rights Commission conducted a "Survey on Awareness of Equality" last month targeting 1,003 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide. The results showed that 7 out of 10 respondents (67.2%) agreed on the necessity of enactment, assuming that four Equality Act bills are pending in the 21st National Assembly. In a previous "Public Awareness Survey on Discrimination" conducted by the Human Rights Commission in 2020, 9 out of 10 respondents supported the enactment of the Equality Act.

However, the Human Rights Commission pointed out that both ruling and opposition parties remain silent about the detailed schedule of the public hearing, and the number of hunger strikers urging the enactment of the Equality Act is gradually increasing. The Commission emphasized, "The public consensus and social agreement on the enactment of the Equality Act have already been sufficiently confirmed," adding, "Even at this moment, citizens are risking their lives to demand the National Assembly enact the Equality Act."

The Human Rights Commission expressed its opinion urging the enactment of the Equality Act in 2020 and issued statements with the same content in June and November of last year. The Commission stated, "As the new and old governments transition, we emphasize once again with an urgent sentiment that the public's desire for the enactment of the Equality Act must no longer be ignored."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.