Maneka writes to top filmmakers to provide safe workplace for women

New Delhi: Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has written to leading film production houses of Bollywood, urging them to comply with the prevention of sexual harassment law to provide a "safe, secure and inclusive" work environment for women.

Top filmmakers like Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Subhash Ghai, among others, were personally written a letter by the minister.

With this effort, the ministry wants to extend the reach and implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition Redressal) Act, 2013.

The minister has also asked the filmmakers to acquaint themselves of the Act and other relevant laws and implement all relevant actions without delay.

"The aim of this law is to ensure that no woman is sexually harassed at her workplace. This is to be followed in letter and spirit by all organisations in the country and I expect you to personally lead these efforts with sincerity and commitment, in accordance with all the applicable laws," she said in the letter. The minister said that as the leaders of their organisations, they are "ethically and legally accountable to provide a safe, secure and inclusive work environment for the safety of not only their direct employees, but all outsourced and temporary staff as well".

On November 7, Gandhi had launched an online complaint management system titled 'Sexual Harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box)' for registering complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace.

The complaint management system has been developed to ensure the effective implementation of the Act, the minister had said.

This portal is an initiative to provide a platform to working women to file complaints related to sexual harassment at workplace under the Act.

Late last month, Gandhi had tweeted, "Thanking Finance and Corporate Affairs minister Arun Jaitley for considering the WCD's request to amend relevant rules under the Companies Act, 2013, for women's safety".

The amendment would ensure that the Board of Directors of all the companies duly report on the constitution of ICC under the Act.