Recently, there has been a massive increase in incidents of workplace harassment of women across the country. According to a report at least 84 cases were registered in 2010-13, which increased to 338 during 2013-2018 and 5,008 by 2018-2022 while by 2024 there has been a further increase.
Interestingly the final figures also include 1,310 complaints filed by men. The report further stated that out of 5,008 registered complaints, 1,689 were from women and men from the public sector and 3,319 from women and men from the private sector.
At first glance this sudden increase in numbers is very alarming. These figures however do not necessarily reflect that this means that much has changed in the last few years. A growing number of better-educated, self-confident women are able to resist abusive and stigmatizing behaviors. That is why she is joining the country’s workforce. Despite this progress some women may still suffer in silence for fear of losing their jobs.
Another important development is that women are now reporting their harassers, which is very important in its place. Meanwhile, women’s rights organizations and the Supreme Court are expressing their displeasure over the flaws in the 2010 anti-harassment discrimination law.
The Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Act, which was enacted last January, is seen as a landmark development in the 2010 Act, which includes several progressive amendments. The legal definition of employees has been expanded to include contract part-time and freelance employees, as well as domestic and non-domestic employees, athletes, artists and students. Harassment does not only mean unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual desires or verbal/physical conduct of a sexual nature that creates an atmosphere of harassment.
All these were included so that no one could take undue advantage of his being a man. It also includes discrimination on the basis of gender whether or not it is sexual in nature but creates a discriminatory and prejudicial mindset that results in discrimination. It will encourage women to come forward and hold harassers accountable.
In fact the latest statistics on harassment indicate that this has started to happen. Therefore, there is a need to ensure the implementation of these laws and to remove the loopholes found in them. It has been pointed out by the Supreme Court and other subordinate courts. The second important thing is that women should prepare themselves mentally before working in any government or non-government department, and the family should also be employed by professional women.
Sometimes it is necessary to give confidence so that the mental pressure can be reduced on one side and they can make better decisions for their safety. Most of our women are shy to tell their parents or siblings about their behavior in offices or work place, due to which they sometimes suffer more.
So this is necessary that the heads of the family as well as themselves should talk to their daughters and sisters on this subject so that they can develop confidence in them and they can respond to their behavior in a timely manner so that the matter does not escalate to such an extent that it causes them to be humiliated do not face. Therefore, where there is a need to improve the existing laws in the country, there is also a need to build the confidence of women, until confident women are not prepared these problems will continue.
So it is the need of the time that relatives should give proper training to employed women to overcome on those worries that occurs during the duty. Another hand, government should also needs to establish helping desks in every department that can monitor the behaviors of male staff towards women and make accountable for such misbehave.
