Law To Sexual Harassment: Erring Colleges & Universities To Face Action
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Colleges and universities which have not yet constituted internal committees to implement the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, will face punitive actions.
The Directorate of Higher Education (DHE) recently issued a letter to eight universities and all government and provincialised colleges, asking them to constitute the committees at the earliest.
Sources in DHE said even though many colleges have already constituted the internal committees, such committees are still non-existent in some institutions. Similar is the situation at universities.
“The letter has been issued so that the remaining colleges and universities follow suit. The existing committees in colleges and universities have received a number of complaints and inquiries are under way on those complaints,” the source said.
In June this year, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani wrote to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, drawing his attention to the importance of maximising women’s participation in economic activity across the country.
“Possibilities and fear of sexual harassment of women at workplaces remain a concern till date,” Irani had written in her letter.
The Act had been brought in force six years ago to provide legal and administrative mechanism to deal with the menace of sexual harassment of women at the workplace. Under the Act, all women, whether employed or not, who suffer sexual harassment at workplace, are covered.
All workplaces, including dwelling places and establishments, visited by an employee arising out of or during the course of her employment, are covered under the said legislation.
All workplaces with 10 or more employees are required to have internal committees and all districts should constitute local committees according to the Act.
Irani in the letter said it was “unfortunate” that very often it is observed that an Act is not implemented properly. She also requested Sonowal to ensure the Act’s strong and effective implementation with special focus in certain aspects like constitution of internal committees at all workplaces and local committees in all districts to receive complaints from organizations having less than 10 workers.