Act Enactment and Functioning- The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 is a legislative act in India that seeks to protect women from sexual harassment at their place of work. It was passed by the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian Parliament) on 3 September 2012. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of the Indian Parliament) on 26 February 2013. Let us discuss the Act Enactment and Functioning in brief:
Functioning
What is this Act about?
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, And Redressal) Act, 2013 makes it illegal to sexually harass women in the workplace. It talks about the different ways in which someone can be sexually harassed and how they can complain about this kind of behavior.
Is this Act only for women?
Yes, this Act is only for women who are sexually harassed in workplaces.
Is this Act only for working women?
No, this Act is for any woman who is harassed in any workplace. It is not necessary for the woman to be working at the workplace in which she is harassed. A workplace can be any office, whether government or private.
There is no sexual harassment at my office. Do I still have to follow the instructions regarding setting up an Internal Complaints Committee?
Yes, even if there are no cases of sexual harassment at the moment, it is still necessary for the committee to be set up (if you employ more than 10 workers) and for all rules to be followed.
Am I not allowed to approach the police and courts because of this Act?
No, the Act gives you a choice between dealing with the offender within the office or approaching a court. If you wish, you can file a criminal complaint instead of approaching your Internal/Local Complaints Committee.
