News
News Title Sexual harassment Bill ready with new clause
News Contents More than three years after it was prepared, the draft Bill on Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace is ready and likely to come up for discussion in the Cabinet shortly. The Bill envisages that every workplace, whether organised or unorganised, should have a forum to take up complaints pertaining to sexual harassment. The draft Bill, which has come from the Law Ministry after being vetted by experts, also includes a new clause, 2 (a), which defines aggrieved women, thereby bringing students, research scholars, patients and women in the �unorganised sector� within the ambit of the proposed law. In case of organised sector there will have to be �internal complaint committees�, absence of which will invite a penalty provision, including deregistration of the institutions or a fine of Rs 50,000 for the first-time offence, says the draft Bill. �The district officer will be made liable to see that all organised sector have such committees. For the second offence, the employer will be liable to twice the punishment imposed earlier. The penalty includes withdrawal of license or deregistration,� said a senior official in the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The organised sector is defined as any department, organisation, undertaking and establishment or branch which is established, owned or controlled, financed by funds provided directly or indirectly by the appropriate government or local authority or a corporation or a cooperative society. Any private sector organisation, institution, unit or service provider carrying on commercial, professional or industrial activities has been defined as a workplace. “This includes an established private sector, institution, nursing homes, all industries, agencies involved in financial activity and having more than 10 employees,” said the official. The internal complaint committee should have a minimum of two and a maximum of 10 members and the presiding officer should be a woman. “While one of the members will be from the institution, necessarily a woman, one more should be from an NGO. The penalty will be a decision of the committee,” said the official. For the unorganised sector, the complaints will be tackled by the District Collector. Unorganised sector has been defined as a workplace owned by an individual or a group having less than 10 employees. “The proposed law provides for a mandatory district-level local complaint committee to investigate sexual harassment complaints, especially registered by women working in the unorganised sector like domestic helps, labourers,” the official added. According to the proposed Bill, sexual harassment means “an unwelcome sexually determined behaviour whether directly or by implication which includes physical contact and advances or demand or request for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, or any other unwelcome physical, verbal conduct of sexual nature”. The draft Bill has a provision that in case a woman is not satisfied with the conclusion of the committee, she may go to the District Magistrate or appeal to the court. --Indian express
 




» cptvm@keralapolice.gov.in 
 

Important Telephone Numbers in Kerala  

State Vanitha Cell (TVM) : 0471-2338100 

Vanitha Police Station, Trivandrum : 0471-2321555 

Women’s Cell, Kollam : 0474-2742376 

Women’s Cell, Pathanamthitta : 0468-2222927 

Women’s Cell, Kottayam : 0468-2222927 

Women’s Cell, Kottayam    : 0481-2302977 

Women’s Cell, Idukki : 9745769386  

Women’s Cell, Kochi   : 0484-2396730 

Women’s Cell, Thrissur : 9745-796230 

Women’s Cell, Palakkad   : 0491-2522340 

Women’s Cell, Malappuram : 9745-769151 

Women’s Cell, Kozhikode : 0495-2724070 

Women’s Cell, Wayanad : 9745-769072 

Women’s Cell, Kannur : 9745-769032

">Vanitha Helpline Number
» Emergency Numbers-State HQ
» Prathyasha- call 0471-3268560
» Pulari-call 0484-4099899
» Sneha-call 0471-2304882
» More.....

 


Directorate of Social Welfare(Annexe)
Poojappura, Trivandrum,
Office : 0471 2346508, E-mail: editor@keralawomen.gov.in