‘ Religious sites need Vishakha guidelines’
The Supreme Court has been moved seeking extension of “Vishakha guidelines’ relating to sexual harassment of women in work places, to religious institutions, including ‘ ashrams’, ‘ madrasas’ and Catholic institutions, to check the rampant rise in sexual exploitation of women.
Social activist Mahesh Pathak in his PIL submitted that Supreme Court in August 1997, in the ‘ Vishakha case’, laid down 12 guidelines to be followed by employers to prevent or deter acts of sexual harassments against women. He said time has come to extend these guidelines to religious places also as they constitute part of workplace as many women are employed there.
The petition sought collection of data of such religious institutions where women practice and profess religion, for taking effective steps on the basis of the guidelines to provide assistance to the victims of sexual assaults.
“If the Vishakha Guidelines are extended to these religious institutions, it would assist a lot in reducing sexually related crimes against women at religious places by various religious gurus or leaders of that particular institution,” the petition said.
It also sought directions to the Centre to provide measures for women safety at religious places by conducting periodic checks from state women panels.