CB BureauThe bill on prevention of sexual harassment of women, prepared
by the women and child development (WCD) ministry, is facing the ire of a group of
NGOs working for men’s rights. The group is demanding that the bill be
made gender-neutral and must also protect men from being harassed at the
workplace.
‘The
draft bill, which is likely to be introduced in the monsoon session of
Parliament starting July 26, should be discarded and a fresh gender-neutral
draft should be prepared,’ said Save Indian Family Foundation, the banner under
which the NGOs are protesting.
‘The “sexual harassment at workplace” bill must be reviewed
and amended immediately to make it gender-neutral. The bill in its present form
violates Article 15 of the Indian Constitution which prohibits discrimination
against any citizen on grounds of religion or sex,’ said Niladri Shekhar Das,
general secretary of Save Indian Family Foundation.
The proposed bill includes a clause that brings students,
research scholars, patients and women in the unorganized sector within the
ambit of the proposed law.
According to the government, the legislation will put
pressure on the private sector, which has so far not been prompt in taking
steps to check harassment of women employees.
The proposed law will ensure that a committee headed by a
women is present in every firm to address cases of sexual harassment and a
penalty is imposed on those who fail to follow the guidelines.