Lok Sabha Question No. 3541 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-21
Subject: SHe-Box Portal
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Vijay Baghel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN- STARRED QUESTION NO. 3541

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.03.2025

## SHe-Box PORTAL

- +3541:  SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL: Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:
- (a) the steps being taken by the Government to make women aware about SHeBox portal in various sectors especially in the rural areas of Chhattisgarh State;
- (b) whether there are any measures available to address the situation arising out of any breach of confidentiality;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether any mechanism is available to provide legal or consultation assistance to women registering complaints on the portal; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof, district-wise especially  of  Durg  parliamentary constituency of said State?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

- (a):      The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box (SHe-Box) portal on 29 th August, 2024, duly encompassing various provisions of 'the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (SH Act). The portal is designed as a user-friendly and easily accessible platform. The Ministry has regularly communicated  with  all  States  and  Union  Territories  (UTs)  providing  updates  and guidance for ensuring appropriate measures to be taken for public awareness.

To enhance understanding and utilization of the SHe-Box, the government is actively conducting training sessions for States, UTs, and stakeholders, including State Nodal

Officers  (SNOs),  District  and  Sub-district  Nodal  Officers  (DNOs),  and  other  field functionaries.  The  training  includes  sensitization  of  officials  to  assist  in  onboarding government and private sector workplaces onto the portal, and also helping women from both urban and rural areas navigate the platform effectively. Making available the SHe-Box in regional languages is part of the design of the project, so as to make it accessible to women across the country.

(b)  to  (c):         Sections  16  and  17  of  the  SH  Act,  2013  mandate  confidentiality regarding complaints and inquiry proceedings. It prohibits the disclosure of details, including  the  complaint's  content,  identities  of  the  aggrieved  woman,  respondent, witnesses, conciliation and inquiry proceedings, recommendations, or actions taken under  the  Act,  to  the  public,  press,  or  media.  Any  violation  of  this  provision  by individuals handling such matters results in penalties as per applicable service rules or prescribed regulations where no such rules exist. The same provisions apply in case of data and information available on SHe-Box portal.

The  detail  of  a  complaint  registered  on  the  portal  by  any  woman  facing  sexual harassment at workplace or any other person on her behalf, are strictly confidential and are only visible to the chairperson of the Internal Committee (IC) or the Local Committee (LC), as the case may be, thereby providing a secure environment for women to report incidents without fear of exposure or retaliation. Once a complaint is submitted to the 'SHe-Box', it will be directly sent to the IC/ LC concerned, as the case may be, having jurisdiction to take action into the matter.

(d) to (e):        To facilitate easy navigation, user manuals for different sectors have been created and uploaded on the portal for guidance. Additionally, the portal provides the copy of Handbook on the SH Act, 2013, issued by the Ministry, offering practical and accessible information for widespread use. Similarly, a training module, developed in collaboration with the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management (ISTM), is also  available  on  portal  to  support  training  and  gender  sensitization  programs  for personnel. To clarify the provisions of the SH Act, 2013, and the functionalities of the SHe-Box portal, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) has been placed in the portal for reference purpose for general public. These resources aim to enhance accessibility and understanding among users.

To assist the users who encounter any technical issues or have any queries related to the portal, the contact details of  the  technical  support  team  and  the  portal administration officer are made available on the portal.

In addition, the One Stop Centres (OSCs) set up across the country has the provision for providing legal aid and counselling, who can also be approached for seeking any assistance including the OSC in Durg Parliamentary constituency.

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