Rein in sexual harassment at workplace, govt reminds depts

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16

With several government departments not showing seriousness in effective implementation of laws related to sexual harassment of women at workplace, the state government has yet again drawn their attention towards the issue.

Raja Sekhar Vundru, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, on Monday wrote to administrative secretaries of all departments on the issue.

“The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, came into force on December 9, 2013. The state government has notified deputy commissioners as district officers to exercise powers and discharge functions under the Act,” says Vundru’s letter.

Drawing attention of the administrative secretaries towards the writ petition —Initiative for Inclusion Foundation Vs Union of India — pending in the Supreme Court, the letter says the petitioner has prayed that all states and union territories should implement the Act and rules made under it without any further delay.

With the letter, a brief note highlighting relevant sections of the Act has also been sent to the departments.

Earlier in February, the Women and Child Development Department had written to all DCs asking them to constitute Local Complaints Committees (LCCs) in their respective districts.

Sources said most DCs have already constituted LCCs in their respective districts and appointed nodal officers under Section 6 of the Act. However, many departments, boards, corporations and other bodies are yet to take such measures.

Notably, even the office of the Chief Secretary did not have a LCC in place when a woman IAS officer used Facebook with a complaint of sexual harassment against her boss last month.

It was only after media reports on the issue and the Haryana State Commission for Women took cognisance of the matter that a committee was constituted under Additional Chief Secretary Navraj Sandhu.

Vundru said the Women and Child Development Department was in the process of making a calendar for organising workshops in departments, board and corporations so that awareness could be created on various provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

He said under the Act, the government also has power to authorise any officer to make inspection of records and workplace in relation to sexual harassment, who would submit a report of such inspection to it within period specified in the order.