E-Platform Will Soon Help Central Govt Employees File Sexual Harassment Complaints
Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Sanjay Gandhi on Friday said her ministry was setting up an e-platform for complaints of sexual harassment at workplace.
Inaugurating a training programme for heads of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) the first ever workshop for capacity building of ICC chairpersons of various ministries, organised by her ministry, she expressed hope that this would be the ”paradigm for safety of women at workplace”.
Information about the number of complaints received and processed under the Act must be included in the annual reports of the Ministries, she told the participants and disclosed that her ministry was also developing an e-box to receive such complaints online.
Addressing the participants, Gandhi said the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 created an enabling environment for women to work without fear. The workshop will help the ICCs to implement the Act more effectively, she added.
The WCD Ministry, she said, has taken several steps to ensure the enforcement of this Act including printing and distribution of handbooks as a ready reference.
The minister urged the Chairpersons of ICCs to ensure that all affiliated organisations with their ministries set up ICCs in their offices and asked the participants to ensure the genuineness of a complaint while carrying out the enquiry and to complete every enquiry within the stipulated time frame.
Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Raj said the Act was very useful since even senior female officers of Government had reported sexual harassment at workplace. The workshop will help to create awareness and help in effective implementation of the Act, she said.
More than 50 heads of ICCs constituted in all central government ministries/departments participated in the workshop which had a session on Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace, Salient features of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 by resource person Ms. Jyotika Kalra, advocate and NHRC member. This was followed by a mock session of Internal Complaint Committee.
The Union Government is the largest employer in the country employing 30.87 lakh people to carry out its various functions.
As per the Census of Central Government employees, 2011, women constitute 10.93% (3.37 lakhs) of the total regular Central Government employees.
To ensure safety and security of women at workplace, the Government of India has enacted the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 covering both the government and private sectors.
Source : DDI News
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