Key Points
There have been calls to overhaul the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, known as the PoSH Act, in the wake of protests by Indias wrestlers as well as students of Kalakshetra..
It is not that the legislation is falling short in keeping harassment at the workplace in check, but India as a society is failing to implement these hard-won protections of the law...
As per the Act, an internal complaints committee is envisioned as a quasi-judicial body to effectively and quickly resolve any grievance and ensure an environment of well-being and safety of all.With theirless formidable processes, the PoSH committeesare more likely to arrive at a resolutionthan court or criminal justice procedures..
A Harvard Business Review study recommended additional training programmes like bystander intervention training and management training, which make everybody a stakeholder in the persistence of abuse, and may have a greater impact when imbricated with regular gender and PoSH workshops..
The problem here is not the law, but the intent of those organisations and their leaders who wish to maintain the status quo with regard to the harassment and abuse of women in the workforce.If we were serious about changing the status quo, it would have been achieved a long time ago..
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