HP High Court Holds Awareness Programme on Workplace Sexual Harassment, She-Box Portal
Shimla, August 1: The Internal Complaints Committee of the Himachal Pradesh High Court organised an awareness programme on the prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women at the workplace, along with the She-Box Portal, for women employees of the High Court Registry on Saturday.
The programme, held at the High Court premises in Shimla, focused on sensitising women employees about their legal rights and the institutional mechanisms available to address complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace.
Senior Advocate Sunita Sharma, who was the subject expert, explained the key provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. She also discussed the Vishaka Guidelines of 1997 and relevant judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts, including the landmark Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan judgment, which laid the foundation for the enactment of the 2013 legislation.
Social activist and subject expert Sumitra Chandel highlighted the need for the legislation and explained its three-fold objective of prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment at workplaces. She elaborated on the meaning and scope of sexual harassment under the law and explained the provisions governing the constitution and functioning of Internal Complaints Committees.
The Nodal Officer of the She-Box Portal briefed participants about the online complaint management mechanism available for women seeking redressal of workplace sexual harassment complaints. The portal provides an online platform for registering and managing complaints relating to sexual harassment at the workplace.
The programme was attended by women employees of the High Court Registry and was aimed at strengthening awareness about women's rights, workplace safeguards and the available institutional and online mechanisms for seeking redressal of grievances.
