For its female employees, Central government issues strict rules to check sexual harassment at workplace

To make female employees of Central government departments feel safer, existing guidelines have been made stringent to prevent sexual harassment at workplace.

In an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Centre has reduced the deadline for completing inquiries into complaints from 90 days to 30 days.

Protection of victim

The Centre has also ordered departments to ensure that complainants are not victimised. The ministry told them to watch out for the well-being of women whose complaints are proven. This, it said, was to be done for five years to ensure she was “not subjected to vendetta”.

Intervention of WCD Ministry

Under the sexual harassment at workplace law, the inquiry committee must give its report within 90 days. The move to bring it down to 30 days comes after Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi expressed disappointment with the way sexual harassment inquiries were getting held up. In October, Gandhi promised to ensure that complaints were dealt with in a “timely and sensitive manner”.

Not posted under the accused

The DoPT in its directive has gone a step further. “She (the complainant) should not be posted under the respondent (who is facing the complaint) or any other person where there may be a reasonable ground to believe that she may be subjected to harassment,” DoPT director Mukesh Chaturvedi said in the memo.

Guarding against victimisation

The memo stated that in “case of any victimisation, the complainant may submit a representation to the secretary in the ministry. These representations should be dealt with sensitively and a decision taken within 15 days”.

Under-reporting of sexual harassment cases

Sexual harassment cases are generally under reported. Sources said only eight departments reported the figures in the previous financial year. The Department of Atomic Energy reported the highest number of cases (15). According to the order, departments must maintain a record and action taken in such cases and submit an annual report.

Source: indiatoday.intoday.in