STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act, 2013 (The SH Act) was introduced six years ago to provide legal and administrative mechanism to deal with the menace. However, the implementation of the Act is at such a state in Assam that the Centre had to intervene.
This Act covers women, whether employed or not, who suffer sexual harassment at workplaces. Unfortunately, even after six years, the State government has failed to implement the SH Act in its truest sense. Many of the departments and offices have not even formed committees for the implementation of the Act.
Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Zubin Irani drew the attention of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to the issue through a letter recently.
The letter reads: “All workplaces with ten or more employees are necessarily required to have internal committees and all districts are also necessarily mandated to be provided with notified district officers who shall further designate nodal officers at sub-district levels to receive complaints under this Act. Most importantly, time-bound support, inquiry and redressal for aggrieved women are to be ascertained.”
However, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development felt that the same was not carried out in Assam. She said that special focus on certain issues be carried out to ensure effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment Act.
The letter mandated, “Constitution of Internal Committees or ICs at all workplaces; constitution of local committees in all districts to receive complaints; notification of district officers and designation of nodal officers in every block, taluka and tehsil in rural or tribal areas and ward or municipality in the urban areas; regular monitoring of the progress of action on the grievances under the SH Act; ensuring display at conspicuous points in all workplaces; ensuring extensive training, sensitization and awareness exercises; and any other steps which may be considered required and suitable for achieving these goals.”