Ministers for strict laws on harassment

Women’s ministry unveils electronic complaints box in bid to help victims

Four Indian cabinet ministers will suggest steps to address sexual harassment at work, the government said yesterday, after a growing #MeToo movement sparked accusations against more than a dozen men and forced a minister to resign.

The two men and two women will review existing provisions on women’s safety and recommend further measures, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

Women’s groups say a requirement under current harassment laws that accusations have to be made to a workplace complaints committee within three months is unfair. They also say it is not clear who takes responsibility for ensuring compliance once a decision is taken on a complaint.

“The government is committed to ensure the safety and dignity of women in the workforce,” said the ministry, whose boss, Rajnath Singh, will lead the group. Its members are -Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

“The Group of Ministers (GoM) will recommend action required for effective implementation of the existing provisions, as well as for strengthening the existing legal and institutional frameworks for addressing issues related to sexual harassment at workplace,” a statement issued by Home Ministry said.

India’s junior minister for foreign affairs, M.J. Akbar, resigned this month after he was accused of sexual harassment by more than a dozen women during his previous career as a journalist. He has denied wrongdoing and filed a defamation suit against one of his accusers.

Many women have accused men from the worlds of media, Bollywood, politics and art of offences ranging from harassment to rape.

The government statement yesterday also said the Ministry of Women and Child Development had launched an “electronic complaints box” for harassment cases.