Women's gps suggest amendments to draft bill on Sexual Harassment

New Delhi, May 3 (UNI) In an attempt to give more teeth to the Bill on Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace, women's groups have recommended significant amendments, including the need to broadbase the definition of sexual harassment, to the draft Bill.

The recommendations by groups, under the aegis of Women Power Connect, a conglomerate of more than 400 women's organisations also include expanding the applicability and scope of coverage from a few illustrations to a whole range of incidents of harassment and assigning personal liability to someone who victimises a sexual harassment complainant.

They also stressed on the need to clarify whether an establishment which has violated a a provision of the Bill can be forced to pay monetary damages to the victim.

Reiterating that the goals of the legislation should be more clearly agreed upon and stated, Women Power Connect President Ranjana Kumari said the bill should be made gender-neutral.

''The current bill only protects women against harassment by men.... as women can also sexually harass men and same sex harassment is also possible...It would be better to make the legislation gender neutral,'' she added.

The groups said there is a need to include sex-based discrimination, which is not sexual in nature, in the ambit of the bill.

Dr Kumari said the recommendations were necessary as several definitions and objectives in the draft, which is incomplete, are likely to be misinterpreted.

UNI