Govt launches SHe-box portal for sexual harassment complaints

The Women and Child Development ministry on Monday launched an online platform to enable women employees of the central government to file complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace.

Union minister Maneka Gandhi said the platform will cater to central government employees in the beginning and thereafter, its ambit will be widened to include the private sector as well.

"We are also going to soon conduct a national survey to assess the nature and magnitude of sexual harassment at the workplace," the minister of woman and child development said after launching the portal at her office here.

The online complaint management system -- 'SHe-box' (sexual harassment electronic box) -- hosted on the website of the Women and Child Development Ministry, also seeks to ensure "effective implementation" of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Once a complaint is submitted to the 'SHe-Box', it will be directly sent to the internal complaints committee (ICC) of the ministry/department/PSU/autonomous body etc concerned, having jurisdiction to inquire into the matter.

The ICC will take action as prescribed under the Act and update the status of the complaint.

The portal is also an effort to provide "speedier remedy" to women facing sexual harassment at the workplace, as envisaged under the sexual harassment Act, a senior official of the ministry said.

The WCD minister also instructed officials to make the portal as "interactive" as possible.

The portal should offer a list of follow-up details so that the employee gets to know the exact status of the complaint, she told officials.