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| Sexual harassment of women in offices goes unchecked in JK | | Govt deptts fail to constitute ICCs | |
Saqib Ahmad
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Oct 12: Even as the incidents of molestation and harassment of women at workplaces is on rise in J&K, most of the government departments have failed to constitute internal complaint committees (ICCs).
The government had directed administrative heads of all departments many a time to constitute the ICCs to address complaints of sexual harassment at workplaces and submit action taken report with specific recommendations, in accordance with rules.
According to an order of the General Administration Department (GAD), administrative heads of their respective departments shall constitute committees at the state, divisional and district levels. Over the last few months, incidents of sexual harassment surfaced in various departments. But no action was taken, and instead the cases were hushed up as most of the government departments have failed to constitute the ICCs.
An official of the GAD said they had directed all departments to constitute ICCs to check sexual harassment.
"I don't know which department has formed such committee. Our job was to issue an order, and rest lies with the departments," he said.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, was enacted by the Centre on December 9, 2013. Under Section 4 (1) of the Act, every head of the department is required to constitute an ICC to check sexual harassment at workplace.
It prescribes strict punishment, including termination of service, for the guilty and similar penalties in case of a frivolous complaint.
An official of department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, said the Sexual Harassment Act was applicable in J&K since the Centre enacted it.
So far, few departments have formed complaint committee for women employees. The committees have been directed to submit report to the GAD on each complaint received by it regarding sexual harassment against women employees, and quarterly/annual reports about the total number of complaints received, enquired and action taken on the same.
The Sexual Harassment Act makes it mandatory for all the departments having 10 or more employees to form such a committee and an employer can be fined Rs 50,000 for violation.
The law says every institution or organization where 10 or more women work, there should be an ICC to check cases of sexual harassment against women.
Under this law, sexual harassment includes, physical contact and advances, a demand or request for sexual favours, making sexually coloured remarks or showing pornography. |
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