Panel expects implementation this academic year
PANJIM, AUG 12
Goa University’s Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (CPSHW) expects the varsity’s draft policy on prevention and redressal and sexual harassment of women at the workplace will be implemented during the current academic year.
Speaking to Herald after a workshop on the sensitive subject on Thursday, Dr Edith Melo Furtado, who heads the 10-member committee as its chairperson, informed, “The draft policy that covers every aspect of sexual harassment in detail was submitted to the varsity in June 2010 soon after it was ready. It has been circulated to college principals for their feedback and is also available on the varsity website.”
Dr Furtado mentioned by the end of this month they will get back to the university on the subject. “The final approval for the policy will come from the varsity’s Executive Council, but before that we are looking at further deliberations on the feedback and see how best we can incorporate some of the good suggestions into the policy,” she observed.
Earlier, at the workshop Member Secretary CPSHW Shaila de Sousa informed that the policy as a measure of safeguard has assured no counter complaints against the complainant(s) will be entertained by any committee till the final report into the particular case was out.
She said full assistance will be provided to the complainant by the university to pursue her case. Also, the name of the victim will not be disclosed and her safety will be ensured by the university, she mentioned.
Citing the draft policy, Chairperson Goa State Commission for Women Ezilda Sapeco, who was speaking as the chief guest mentioned, “There should be no problem for students to come forward to register their complaints because I am told there are enough safeguards provided for them in the draft policy.”
In her keynote address, Researcher at the Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai, Anagha Sarpotdar, advised students present not to ignore sexual harassment and bring the same to the notice of friends. “Keep a track of the vents by recording them in a diary with details of day, time, nature of incident, people present on spot, etc.,” she suggested.
Adv Albertina Almeida, who is the NGO component in the 10-member CPSHW, said sexual harassment at the workplace doesn’t necessarily mean incidents that happen only at the workplace.
“An incident that has occurred outside the workplace in relation to work is also considered sexual harassment at the workplace,” she mentioned.
GU Vice-Chancellor Dileep Deobagkar also spoke on the occasion.
On August 13, 1997, the Supreme Court in response to a petition acknowledged the existence of sexual harassment at the workplace and espoused on the need for socio-legal recourse for the same.
