Many apprehensions on Bill to protect women from sexual harassment

New Delhi, Apr 8 (UNI) Despite concerted efforts by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the bill meant to prevent sexual harassment of women at work places faces many hurdles due to apprehensions in certain quarters about its possible misuse.

The ministry was earlier planning to bring the Protection Against Sexual Harassment of Women Bill in the coming session of Parliament but the possibility now seems remote as a large number of suggestions comprising appreciations, criticism and apprehensions regarding the bill have been received by it.

''The ministry had inivited suggestions and observations regarding the bill to ensure a wider public debate on it. We have received a large number of suggestions. They will all be collated and studied and deliberated. After studing them depending on the merit, some of these positive suggestions may be incorporated. All this would take time, so though we are trying, the bill may not come in the coming Parliament session,'' Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury told UNI.

However, she said the proposed bill would go a long way in protecting women, especially those working in unorganised sector, from sexual harassment at workplace. It would confer upon women the right to protection against sexual harassment and prevention and redressal of sexual harassment.

It would provide protection to women working in the private, government and unorganised sector.

Ms Chowdhury, who faced ire from some quarters following the passage of domestic violence bill, has maintained that the possibility of misuse of a bill by a miniscule section could not become ground for women being denied positive legislations to safeguard their rights and protect them from exploitation be it physical, emotional or psychological.

The Bill would provide redressal for women plagued by sexual harassment even in industries that have so far stayed out of the loop like hospitality, restaurants, NGOs, health services and coaching centres, domestic help, women working in tailoring, or beauty parlours. With an increasing number of women in the workforce being forced to handle harassment-mental, physical and social, the proposed law would ensure that an employer must constitute an internal complaints panel where most members should be women. In case an internal committee cannot be set up or if the complaint is against the employer himself, the aggrieved woman can approach a local committee set up by the government under a district officer.

Earlier, the differences had erupted between the Law Ministry and Women and Child Development Ministry among the various provisions of the draft bill. Many rounds of discussion took place between the officials of the Law Ministry and the Women and Child Development Ministry to sort out the differences. The latter took help of women activists to convince the mandarins of the Law Ministry about the suitability of various provisions of the draft bill as the latter had diluted many of them.

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