Women sensitised on workplace sexual harassment
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR

Imphal, February 06 2025: A sensitisation programme on "Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013" was held at the auditorium of Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Nityaipat Chuthek on Thursday.

The programme was or ganised by Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW) in association with DIPR.

Speaking as the chief guest, MSCW chairperson Thumlip Tiningpham Monsang explained that the programme aims to sensitise the women on various issues related to workplace harassment and its prevention, prohibition and redressal.

"Women face various kinds of harassment at workplace, despite occupying 50 per cent of the workforce in general.

Women sensitised on workplace sexual harassment

To avoid such cases of harassment, Act and Rules are enacted to empower women by the government," she added.

The chairperson continued that in workplaces or institutions where women employees are required to discharge their duties beyond official working hours, such as DIPR, it is very important to have the knowledge of "Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (prevention, prohibition and redressal) Act, 2013 .

She pointed out that even though the provision of women empowerment has been given, it is meaningless until and unless we apply it in in our daily lives.

Presiding over the function, IPR director Ngangom Uttam Singh said that a conducive environment is important to bring substantive equality between male and female employees.

"Gender equality starts from family and we should educate our children on the importance of doing household chores irrespective of gender," he noted.

Speaking on the various provisions of the Act, he said that every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each workplace with 10 or more employees.

He maintained that each ICC should have a minimum of four members, with at least half of them being women, adding that the same should also cover issues of harassment cases faced by transgender as well.

Similarly, district officers are required to constitute a Local Complaints Committee (LCC) at district level, he added.

Uttam also said that the state has already implemented Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) number 112 wherein, all emergency numbers like 100 for police, 101 for fire, 102 for ambulance, 181 for Women's Helpline and 1098 for Child Helpline, and 14567 for Senior Citizen have been integrated.

The ERSS number 112 is toll free and any person can dial '112' despite having no mobile talk time balance.

As resource person of an interaction session conducted as a part of the programme, MSWC legal advisor advocate Th Rajkishore Singh highlighted the importance of The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.Sexual harassment of women at workplace violates a woman's fundamental rights to equality (Article 14 and 15), dignity and a safe, environment (Article 21) under the Indian Constitution, he said.

Rajkishore pointed out that women employees, both government & private and domestic workers (women employed to do household work in any household for remuneration), are covered under the Act.

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, applies to all workplaces, both public and private, formal and informal including hospitals, educational institutions and other establishments where women are employed, he informed.

For non-criminal offenses, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)/Local Complaints Committee (LCC) will refer for departmental enquiry and subsequently, CCS Conduct rules will be applied for misconduct.

If the charges are found to be criminal, the case will be referred to the police and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, 2023 Section 79 will be applied.

Section 79 of BNS Act, 2023 deals with protection of women from actions that insult their modesty including words, gestures, or objects to offend a woman, or intruding on her privacy, he added IPR additional director and MSCW member secretary W Phajatombi Devi and MSCW members Lourembam Dayabati and T Chuongsin Koireng were on the dais as the guest of honours.

Officials and staff of the Directorate and representatives of MSCW also attended the sensitisation programme.