The government has warned companies against dismissing or unfairly treating foreign trainees who get pregnant while working in the country, officials said Thursday.
With many interns expressing concern about the impact a pregnancy may have on their employment status, with some women having been compelled to consider abortions or return home, the government on Monday told firms that accept and supervise foreign trainees that it would violate the gender equality law if the women are unfairly treated due to marriage, pregnancy or childbirth.
The government-sponsored technical internship, introduced in 1993 with a stated aim of transferring skills to developing countries, has faced criticism at home and abroad over perceptions it is used as a cover for companies to import cheap labor.