Women harassment bill put before panel
The Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, which seeks to provide a safe working environment for women has been referred to a parliamentary panel for detailed scrutiny. The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session in December and has now been referred to parliamentary standing committee on human resource development. Headed by Congress MP Oscar Fernandes, the committee has sought the opinion of various stakeholders and general public on the proposed legislation.
The move follows days after the National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by Sonia Gandhi, suggested that domestic workers too be brought under the purview of the proposed law. The NAC had sought amendments to the draft legislation after it was revealed that domestic workers had been excluded from the purview of the bill. The government had excluded domestic workers from the purview of the bill contending that they were in the non-formal sector, and therefore it was difficult to bring them within the scope of the legislation.
The bill also proposes a definition of sexual harassment, which is as laid down by the Supreme Court in a 1997 case. The bill says that promise or threat to a woman’s employment prospects or creation of hostile work environment as “sexual harassment” at workplace and expressly seeks to prohibit such acts.
The proposed legislation provides protection not only to women who are employed but also to any woman who enters the workplace as a client, customer, apprentice, and daily wage worker or in ad-hoc capacity. Students, research scholars in colleges and universities and patients in hospitals have also been covered under the purview of the proposed law.
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