Prof. Bhavana Rao-Former Consultant-National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. She shared very insightful information with students regarding laws on sexual harassment at the workplace. Sexual harassment is any unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature. It is not only confined to physical contact only; it can be verbal as well as non-verbal. Sexual Harassment is also a form of discrimination.
She explained to students about the Internal Complaints Committee and Local Complaints Committee set up under the Sexual Harassment Act,2013.
All workplaces having 10 or more than 10 employees must have an Internal Complaint Committee. If the workplace has less than 10 workers, the employees in case of sexual harassment can go to the Local Complaints Committee set by the district collector. She also explained to students how to define the workplace and employees under the Sexual Harassment Act,2013. Both men and women can approach these committees for seeking redressal.
She also emphasized the importance of having gender neutral laws as both men and women can be the victims of sexual harassment. It's high time India should also start working on gender neutral laws. Countries like Denmark, Italy, Ireland, Finland, Germany, etc have gender neutral laws for sexual harassment.
The speaker made us acquainted with what to do in case of facing sexual harassment at the workplace. The session was very informative and interactive.