POSH the way forward

Population First in collaboration with Bhumika’s Collective organised a one-day consultation on POSH- Implementation & Challenges. Media representatives, members of women groups and NGOs participated in the discussion on the implementation of ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Conducted by KondaveetiSatyavathi, the informal sessions reflected on the lack of Internal committees in many offices, including various government organisations. What was collectively agreed upon was the lack of orientation on POSH and the provisions of the Act, the role of the committee members, the dos and dont’s of investigation and the rights of the victims of sexual harassment, the rules of confidentiality, the scope of the Act and above all the emphasis given in the Act on the prevention aspect.

There is a serious need for sensitisation of the ICC members to begin with and the Act itself calls for workshops and awareness sessions to be conducted periodically at workplaces. Many shared their experiences as members of Internal Committees on the challenges they faced when dealing with cases of sexual harassment at workplace.

The resistance to awareness workshops is the primary challenge, said Satyavati. The participants that included lawyer Devi, social and rural development activist Rukmini Rao, representatives from Domestic Workers Association, transgender social activists Vyjayathi and Rachana (who also spoke about inclusion of the third gender while formulating laws and during movements in order to preserve their rights).

It was agreed upon the need for sensitising men, which they felt would go a long way in preserving women’s rights. The need of the hour is also Local Complaints Committees that will deal with problems in unorganised sector, the participants averred.