Sunday, 28 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The chairperson of the Uttarakhand State Women Commission (USCW) Kusum Kandwal said that women facing harassment at the workplace can approach the commission and assured them of strict action. A number of women in the city have expressed their concerns regarding experiencing harassment, bullying and eve-teasing in their workplace. They have noted that although the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) exists on paper in their office, it has not been effectively established.
Reflecting on this, an employee of a software company Simran Kaur claimed that many women, including herself, encountered harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behaviour on their first day of work. She emphasised the crucial role of the ICC and revealed that despite 15 female employees working in her company, there is no ICC in place to address the issues they face.
“Government and private offices claim ICC on paper rather than in practice. Incidents of harassment and eve-teasing in workplaces have been on the rise. Considering this, the authorities must ensure the implementation of ICC in the departments and companies,” another local resident Prerna Chaturvedi said.
Kandwal told this correspondent that the USCW had earlier instructed both government departments and private offices in the State to establish ICC in order to prevent cases of harassment of female employees. She noted that many departments have still not formed the committee. She stressed on the need to carry out surprise inspections in government departments to verify the presence of ICC. She warned that if any department fails to establish the committee, the USCW will take strict action against it. “Any woman who claims the absence of an ICC in her office may file a complaint with USCW.Her identity will be kept confidential. The ICC must consist of at least one external member, such as a lawyer, NGO representative or any socially engaged individual,” the USCW head said.
