The BJP-led central government on October 24 constituted a four-member Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh “to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks to deal with and prevent sexual harassment at workplace.”
Four members Group of Ministers also include Nitin Gadkari; Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nirmala Sitharaman; Union Minister of Defence, and Maneka Sanjay Gandhi; Union Minister of Women and Child Development.
“The government today constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to examine the existing legal and institutional frameworks for dealing with matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace. The GoM will recommend action required for effective implementation of the existing provisions, as well as for strengthening the existing legal and institutional frameworks for addressing issues related to sexual harassment at workplace,” the central government statement read.
The statement said, “The Group of Ministers has been constituted in view of the felt need for broader consultation on this issue, from the point of view of developing appropriate recommendations and laying down a comprehensive plan of action and for ensuring its time-bound implementation.”
Women and Child Development ministry has launched an Electronic Complaints Box that will enable women, irrespective of their work status, to raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplace.
The statement added, “Once a complaint is submitted to the ‘SHe-Box’, it is directly sent to the concerned authority having jurisdiction to take action into the matter. A mechanism will be put in place to regularly monitor the action taken on the complaints.”
