The Internal Committee organized a talk on “Sexual Harassment at Workplace: A Hostile Work Environment” on 26th September, 2023, in Hall 1, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The target audience for this talk included the students of the FY B.COM programme and newly appointed teachers. The primary objective of this talk was to raise awareness about this critical issue and provide education to students and faculty members on how to recognize and prevent it. Such talks are essential in helping individuals understand the various forms of sexual harassment, how to report it, and the proactive steps that can be taken to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Furthermore, these discussions help in fostering a safe and supportive environment for victims of sexual harassment to come forward and seek assistance.
Ms. Smita Bandekar, Assistant Professor in Law, served as the Resource Person for the event. She initiated the discussion with an introduction to sexual harassment, including its various forms. She also highlighted the landmark real-life case of Vishaka & ors. v/s State of Rajasthan (1997). In addition to this, she delved into the significance of articles 14, 15, 19, and 21 in the Indian Constitution and Sections 354A and 354B in the Indian Penal Code related to sexual harassment.
During the talk, Ms. Smita also covered the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Prohibition Act of 2013 and Section 3 pertaining to the prevention of sexual harassment. She explained the establishment and composition of the Internal Complaint Committee as well as the process for nominating its members by an employer in a workplace. Towards the end of the talk, she discussed the responsibilities of employers as outlined in Section 19.
The talk on sexual harassment prevention was attended by 68 students and 3 newly appointed teachers.
