Why in the news?

• Recently, Kerala High Court asked organisations associated with the film industry to take steps to constitute a joint committee to deal with cases of sexual harassment of women, in line with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013.

The law against sexual harassment

• The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act was passed in 2013. It defined sexual harassment, lay down the procedures for a complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken.
• It broadened the Vishaka guidelines, which were already in place.
• The Vishaka guidelines were laid down by the Supreme Court in a judgment in 1997. This was in a case filed by women’s rights groups, one of which was Vishaka.

Guidelines and the law

• The Visakha guidelines, which were legally binding, defined sexual harassment and imposed three key obligations on institutions — prohibition, prevention, redress. The Supreme Court directed that they should establish a Complaints Committee, which would look into matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.
• The 2013 Act broadened these guidelines.
• It mandated that every employer must constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or branch with 10 or more employees.
• It lay down procedures and defined various aspects of sexual harassment, including the aggrieved victim, who could be a woman “of any age whether employed or not”, who “alleges to have been subjected to any act of sexual harassment”.
• This meant that the rights of all women working or visiting any workplace, in any capacity, were protected under the Act.

Definition of sexual harassment

• Under the 2013 law, sexual harassment includes “any one or more” of the following “unwelcome acts or behaviour” committed directly or by implication:
• Physical contact and advances
•  A demand or request for sexual favours
•  Sexually coloured remarks
• Showing pornography
• Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.
• The Ministry of Women & Child Development has published a Handbook on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace with more detailed instances of behaviour that constitutes sexual harassment at the workplace. These include, broadly:
• Sexually suggestive remarks or innuendos; serious or repeated offensive remarks; inappropriate questions or remarks about a person’s sex life
•  Display of sexist or offensive pictures, posters, MMS, SMS, WhatsApp, or emails
• Intimidation, threats, blackmail around sexual favours; also, threats, intimidation or retaliation against an employee who speaks up about these
•  Unwelcome social invitations with sexual overtones, commonly seen as flirting
•  Unwelcome sexual advances.
• The Handbook says “unwelcome behaviour” is experienced when the victim feels bad or powerless; it causes anger/sadness or negative self-esteem. It adds unwelcome behaviour is one which is “illegal, demeaning, invading, one-sided and power based”.
• After the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)recommendations, the aggrieved woman or the respondent can appeal in court within 90 days
• Section 14 of the Act deals with punishment for false or malicious complaints and false evidence.

Reference:

1. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/explained-posh-law-against-sexual-harassment-in-india-7825733/