Very soon even male workers will have a platform to protest in case they experience sexual harassment at their place of work. The Protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, which seeks to protect women against sexual harassment at workplace, will mandate the employer to report cases of male harassment too. This, along with many other changes, have been incorporated in the proposed bill which is likely to come in the Cabinet next week.
According to the committee, the proposed amendment will help understand the real picture of sexual harassment of both men and women. “Keeping in mind the interests of all concerned, the committee feels that viability of having a provision of enabling nature where circumstances of sexual harassment cases of men at workplace can be tackled may be explored,” it said, adding that “an employer/establishment may be mandated to report cases of male sexual harassment in their report too”.
As suggested by the parliamentary panel, the women and child development ministry has also brought in “domestic workers” under the ambit of the proposed legislation.
Calling this section as most vulnerable to sexual harassment, the committee had suggested to include this section as earlier the ministry had viewed “practical difficulties” in bringing domestic workers in the ambit of the proposed bill in the absence of any code of conduct laid down within the household. The committee, however, had said that it was in full agreement for inclusion of domestic workers within the ambit of the proposed bill.