Sexual Harassment affects all women in some form or the other. Lewd remarks, touching, wolf-whistles, “looks” are part of any woman’s life, so much so that it is dismissed as normal.
Working women are no exception. In fact, working women most commonly face the backlash, to women taking new roles, which belong to male domains especially in the organized sector. In the unorganized sector also it is widely prevalent. Studies have shown that sexual harassment is still endemic, often hidden, and present in all kinds of organisations. 40-60% working women face harassment at working places.
Revathi worked as Secretary to Ramanatham, the chairman of an export promotion council. He asked her to accompany him to the business centre of a five star hotel. At the business centre, he tried to sit too close to X and touch her and did not give up even after she protested. He also tried to molest her in the elevator
Janaki did not reciprocate Vijay’s love and avoided him. She began to receive crank calls from him and later from his friends/co-workers. She started feeling very uncomfortable in the presence of vijay and her colleagues and her participation in official/non official gathering gradually reduced. Her lack of participation is being noticed by her senior and her performance was getting affected
Rithika working in an MNC avoids sexual advances from her manager. As a result she is given disproportionate amounts of work and is ultimately bypassed by her junior male colleague for promotion. When she protests, the boss blatantly tells her that “everything is in her hands only”
Subjects another person to an unwelcome act of physical intimacy, like grabbing, brushing, touching, pinching etc
Makes an unwelcome demand or request (whether directly or by implication) for sexual favours from another person, and further makes it a condition for employment/payment of wages/increment/promotion etc.
Makes an unwelcome remark with sexual connotations, like sexually explicit compliments/cracking loud jokes with sexual connotations/ making sexist remarks etc.
Shows a person any sexually explicit visual material, in the form of pictures/cartoons/pin-ups/calendars/screen savers on computers/any offensive written material/pornographic e-mails/sms etc.
It is sexual harassment if a supervisor requests sexual favours from a junior in return for promotion or other benefits or threatens to sack for non-cooperation. It is also sexual harassment for a boss to make intrusive inquiries into the private lives of employees, or persistently ask them out.
It is sexual harassment for a group of workers to joke and snigger amongst themselves about sexual conduct in an attempt to humiliate or embarrass another person.
If anyone displays too much interest in your sex life (or lack there of) and persistently asks you questions or makes remarks of a personal nature.
First and foremost, acknowledge that it is your legal responsibility to provide safe working environment for women free from sexual harassment and discrimination and that you can be held liable for sexual harassment by employees
Know that sexual harassment can have a devastating effect upon the health, confidence, morale and performance of those affected by it. The anxiety and stress produced by sexual harassment commonly leads to those subjected to it taking time off work due to sickness, being less efficient at work, or leaving their job to seek work elsewhere
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