Nagpur News: The Supreme Court ruling entails necessity for every business establishments to have sexual harassment redressal committee. The companies must have a sexual harassment redressal committee to prevent cases of sexual harassment and provide mechanisms for the resolution of complaints. However the ground reality is not at all encouraging. Nagpur Today highlighted how the so called big establishments and business houses in city lack the said committee. Nagpur Today is now reaching out to the women serving across various professions and having their views over the issue.
In the third part of our series we brought on board the active social worker of Nagpur and VIA-LEW President Vandana Sharma. Vandana Sharma is a dedicated social worker who works for the upliftment of needy and especially trying hard to empower girls and make them aware about their rights.
NMC and NGO’S should together take initiative
According to Sharma Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s Women Welfare Department should take initiative for this cause. “The local bodies like NMC should involve NGO’S with them and should do something for this serious issue. NMC can organize awareness programs so that people specially women will get to know their rights” says Vandana Sharma. She added that NMC is doing a lot of work for environment, clean city, keeping our city green. However no campaign and awareness programs are lunched for women empowerment and security which should be done. NGO’s can take initiative at individual level too. Vandana Sharma told that she being president of VIA-LEW decided to provide counseling to the lady entrepreneurs. She will start a Women Counseling Cells for the lady entrepreneurs soon.
Faith for the system is vanished
Vandana Sharma believes that the women no more believes the system and they feel that even if they will raise their voice nobody will listen to her. She don’t believe that she will get justice therefore she tried to let go the situation and prefer to be silent rather than telling her problem. Our legal system has failed somewhere to give justice to women victims believes Vandana Sharma.
Take your colleagues in confidence
women who is facing such problems and if someone from her office is harassing or abusing her she should share this with her office staff. The other employees will become the support system. Intimate your office staff about the behavior of that person so that they will also observe and conferm your concern and they will be at your side if any enquiry will be done.
Women rights should be taught in schools
Talking on the issue, Vandana Sharma said that the rights of the women should be included in the curriculum. Girls should know about these things from childhood. They should understand that there are laws for her and how she can use them for her safety and rights. This will help women to get vocal for themselves.
Women is always targeted
Vandana Sharma said that harassment at workplace is a serious issue and sexual harassment redressal committee is a must for working women at their workplace. However, even if there is a sexual harassment redressal committee many women do not give complaint because she always has the fear of being targeted by the management or other male employees. People start looking at the lady like she is the culprit.
Monitoring from government is must
Just making law is not enough but there should be a monitoring that the rule is being followed or not. There are a lot of laws for women but people don’t bother to follow them because there is no fear of action as there is no monitoring says Vandana Sharma. The Women and Child Development Ministry should do timely inspection in all the big establishments to check the existence of the committee and the members of the committee. Vandana Sharma believes that if there will be timely inspection the owners will have the fear of action against them.
Awareness program will play vital role
Awareness program from Government, NGO, NMC or Local bodies will definetly contribute to the change believes Vandana Sharma. She feels that government should put boards written the rights of women in public places and should organize campaigns awareness programs so that more and more women will get aware for her rights.
:: By Puja Singh
