Hit by #MeToo movement, Punjab’s women panel on Monday issued a slew of guidelines for the government employees, administrators and even the elected officials to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.
Punjab State Women Commission chairperson Manisha Gulati, issuing the guidelines, said that the Commission has decided to frame a policy for everyone so that no one harasses a woman in future at workplaces.
At the same time, Gulati made it clear that the Commission has received no complaint against the Minister, accused for harassing a senior woman IAS officer, while adding that she would raise the issue with the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
“The Commission can take suo motu cognisance of the matter if there is specific information about the victim,” she said while pointing that the said bureaucrat has not yet come forward, and even have not filed any formal complaint anywhere.
At the same time, Gulati said that the Commission is also receiving false complaints under the #MeToo movement, but, action would be initiated even in false complaint cases.
Citing the Central Government’s notification, dated November 9, 2013, passing the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, Gulati said that the Commission is announcing certain rules and regulations to prevent any kind of sexual harassment of women at workplace.
The guidelines said that sexual harassment may occur not only where a person uses sexual behaviour to control, influence or affect the career, salary or job of another person, but also between co-workers.
“All male officers and Ministers are required to understand that if a female employee is being called for any kind of discussion or meeting into a confined space, like in an office, he needs to have a minimum of one other woman in the office for the entire duration of the meeting,” said the guidelines.
It added that no kind of discussions which include the salary appraisals of the female junior or involving money shall be done with any indication of receiving any favour from the female employee.
Gulati said that physical contact and advances shall be considered as sexual harassment and it is mandatory that no male employee shall behave in any manner which can be construed as sexual in nature.
Sexually coloured remarks or remarks of a sexual nature about female's clothing or body are strictly prohibited at workplace, she said, adding that indulging in any humour laced with sexual innuendoes, sexual teasing and sexual pranks are not allowed.
She categorically said that any jokes, photos, GIFs, videos or even plain text sent to any female’s mobile phone by a male colleague, junior or senior shall be taken as serious and sexual harassment of the female employee, and shall be dealt with strictly as various Courts of India have accepted any conversation done over chatting and messaging apps as admissible in the court of law.
“Any communication happening on mobile devices, including mobile phones, tablets, computers, or even landlines, are not limited by office hours and hence any objectionable content sent by a male colleague, junior or senior to a female, even outside the office hours, shall not be tolerated by the Commission and be dealt with in lines with sexual harassment,” she made it clear.