Alibaba Sets Up Harassment Hotline as Rape Probe Nears End
- Company will establish a team to investigate all complaints
- Incident is a moment of reckoning in China’s #MeToo movement
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. will set up a hotline and create a team dedicated to investigating sexual harassment complaints, after an employee accused her manager of rape and ignited a debate about misogyny across China’s tech industry.
The e-commerce giant launched an investigation when an Alibaba employee accused her manager of sexually assaulting her after a night of heavy drinking while on a business trip in July. That inquiry has almost concluded and its results will soon be announced, the company said on its official blog Thursday. Alibaba has meanwhile established a committee to police its workplace environment, comprised of senior female executives including Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu and Chief People Officer Judy Tong, who was publicly censured Monday for the company’s mishandling of the incident.