A two hour training session on ‘Prevention of Sexual harassment at the Workplace’ was conducted for the employees at the WCS–India on 29th September 2020 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. The purpose of training was to acquaint all the staff with PoSH rules and increase awareness about harassment at the workplace in order to build a culture of mutual respect and equal opportunity.
Mr. Vedansh Anand, an Advocate from Lex Locum Consultants introduced the resource persons: Prof. (Dr) Ritu Gupta as the Professor of Law at National Law University, Ms. Ayushi Chugh and Mr.Upendra Sai as Associated Advocates at Lex Locum Consultants and Dr. Charu Walikhanna, an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, to the participants of the webinar.
Prof. (Dr) Ritu Gupta began her session by explaining the genesis of the PoSH Act, 2013 as an outcome of the landmark judgment Vishakha vs. State of Rajasthan. She went on to explain the meaning of ‘Sexual Harassment’ with the help of case laws and examples. She also spoke about the impact of such behavior upon women and the need for educating staff at the workplace.
Ms. Ayushi Chugh dealt with the procedure for filing a complaint to the Internal Committee by an aggrieved woman within three months from the date of the incident. She shared tips on relevant points that must be mentioned in order to have a strong complaint. She also spoke about the option to file complaints at the SHe-Box portal developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Mr. Upendra Sai covered the aspect of societal perception of the PoSH law as being misused for settling scores with the help of several practical examples.
Dr. Charu Walikhanna’s session emphasized on the responsibility of the organization in handling PoSH cases.
WCS-India maintains and fosters a work environment in which all employees are treated with decency and respect. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination against any staff, officers, contractor, part time employees or any other person, irrespective of the fact whether they are at the head office or on the field. We are fully compliant with the PoSH Act, 2013 and have constituted an Internal Complaints Committee in accordance with the law.