All public offices, schools and municipalities will be obliged to provide educational programs to prevent sex crimes starting from June 19, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Monday.

Under a revised law on prevention of sex-related crimes and protection of the victims, educational programs will be offered at least once a year at about 67,000 public offices and educational institutions nationwide including central and provincial government offices, and state-run firms and institutes.

So far, only schools, day care centers and kindergartens were responsible for providing such programs. Not only officials but also temporary workers and interns hired by public offices are subjected to participate in the programs, officials said.

It will also be mandatory for high-ranking officials to take such programs when they are up for promotion, they added.

A variety of educational content will be developed to offer better understanding on sex crimes to people in different age groups.

The ministry also plans to increase the number of lecturers from 240 this year to 1,000 by 2015. The training will take place at the government-designated education institutes.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)