SHe-box launched for govt staff to report harassment at workplace
Ministry getting several complaints of delay in investigating cases of sexual harassment
Help is now a click away for the government’s women employees who face sexual harassment at the workplace.
The Union women and child development (WCD) ministry on Monday launched “SHe-box” — an online complaint window to be made available at the ministry’s website (www.wcd.nic.in), where any woman employee who faces sexual harassment or abuse at work can report the incident.
Launching the portal, WCD minister Maneka Gandhi said her ministry will soon conduct a national survey to assess the nature and magnitude of sexual harassment at workplaces across the country.“Once a complaint is registered, we will forward it to the ministry/department where the woman works. We will also follow it up with the respective ministry as to what action has been initiated,” said a senior WCD ministry official.
Officials said the ministry had been getting numerous complaints from women employees alleging delay in investigation of such cases, which necessitated the need to set up the SHe-box.
“Also, in many cases, women are hesitant to come forward and complain against a colleague/ senior where she is working. SHe-box provides anonymity to them,” the official said.
While the initiative is a welcome step, its effectiveness will depend on how it’s implemented and the ministry’s response to such complaints. Despite Parliament having cleared the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act in February 2013, its implementation has so far remained patchy.
Many organisations – both in government and private sector -are yet to set up a fully functional internal complaints committee (ICC) to handle sexual harassment related grievances, a mandatory provision under the Act.
“We keep asking government organisations and private sector firms to send us report on whether the ICC are functional and how many complaints have been filed and disposed of. The response has not been so good and compliance is limited,” the ministry official said.
At present, there is no centralised mechanism to collect data on how many complaints have been registered and disposed of under the Act.
The National Crime Records Bureau began collecting data in 2014 under the category of insult to the modesty of women (Section 509 of IPC) at office premises.
In 2015 (the latest year for which figures are available), the bureau registered 119 cases and charge sheeted 71 people. Five people were convicted in 2015.