Lok Sabha Question No. 890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-29
Subject: Safe Work Place for Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri G Kumar Naik

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 890

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.11.2024

## SAFE WORK PLACE FOR WOMEN

## 890. SHRI G KUMAR NAIK:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has set up Internal Complaints Committees across all Government Ministries and Departments to ensure compliance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of complaints registered on the Sexual Harassment electronic-Box (SHe-Box) since its inception, year-wise and State/UT-wise;
- (c) the details of the time taken to resolve complaints filed through SHe-Box and the steps being taken to ensure timely redressal;
- (d) whether  there  are  any  plans  to  enhance  the  functionality,  accessibility  and awareness of SHe-Box among women in various sectors, particularly in rural and unorganized sectors;
- (e) the details of measures in place to monitor the effectiveness and outcomes of SHe-Box in protecting women at workplaces; and
- (f) whether any challenges have been reported in its implementation and the steps taken by the Government to address these challenges?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (f):  Safety  and  security  of  women  in  the  country  is  of  utmost  priority  for  the Government.  Keeping  this  in  view,  the  Government  has  enacted  'the  Sexual Harassment  of  Women  at  Workplace  (Prevention,  Prohibition  and  Redressal)  Act, 2013'  (SH  Act)  to  provide  protection  to  women  against  sexual  harassment  at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints related to it. The Act covers  all  women,  irrespective  of  their  age,  employment  status  or  nature  of  work, whether working in public or private, organised or unorganised sector and whether in rural  and  urban  areas.  The  Act  casts  a  legal  obligation  upon  employers  of  all workplaces, public or private, to provide a safe and secure working environment free from  sexual  harassment,  whereby  every  employer  is  mandated  to  constitute  an Internal Committee (IC) wherever the number of employees/ workers is more than 10. Similarly,  the  Appropriate  Government  is authorized to  constitute Local Committee (LC) in every district to receive complaints from organizations having less than ten workers or if the complaint is against the employer himself/herself. The Act has enough provisions to deal with various aspects of the matter including penal provisions for those who violate the provisions of the Act including for the employers. Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) being the Nodal Ministry, issues advisories to all Central Ministries /Departments and State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations  from  time  to  time  for  effective  implementation  of  the  Act  and  to organize workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitizing the employers and employees.

As per the provisions of the Act, the appropriate government has been mandated to maintain the data of number of complaints received and disposed of. Till recently, there was no central database for maintaining the data on number of ICs and LCs as well as number of complaints filed and disposed of. Hence, being the Nodal Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched  SHe-Box recently. The complaint registration feature in the She-Box went live on October 19, 2024, after a majority of Central Ministries and Departments onboarded the portal. Since then, the portal has received 9 complaints. The portal has been designed to serve as a central repository for ICs and LCs at various State/ UT administration level workplaces as well as workplaces in private sector, once they on-board the portal.

The SHe-Box portal has been developed in accordance with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and the time prescribed for inquiry under the Act is 90 days.

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