Chinese who sue others over emotional damage should expect to get no more than an apology and a promise that they will not be harassed in the future, state media reported on Monday.
This follows a decision by the Supreme People's Court to limit the compensation that can be given over emotional and psychological damage, the China Daily said.
"Courts should not support claims for extraordinarily high emotional and psychological damage compensations," said Li Guoguang, the court's vice president.
Defendants should generally only be ordered to apologize and to stop the activities that led to the suit, he said.
Compensation should only be claimed when the injured party has suffered severe damage, and the defendant's ability to pay should be taken into consideration, Li said.
It was unclear if Li's remark means women who try to sue their employers or others over sexual harassment will be barred from getting compensation.
A spokesman of the Supreme Court contacted by AFP said each sexual harassment case would be treated according to the specific circumstances, suggesting that compensation is a possibility.
Statistics on the extent of sexual harassment in China are sketchy as there is no tradition for victimized women to come forward with their stories.
A Beijing-based dial-in counseling center said it had received more than 44,000 calls in the period between 1992 and 1999, of which nine percent were on legal issues, according to previous reports -- BEIJING (AFP)
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