LS passes bill against sexual harassment

Amidst the ruckus created by the opposition over coal block allocation in Parliament, the Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill which seeks to protect women against sexual harassment at workplaces. Piloted by the women and child development minister Krishna Tirath, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace [Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal] Bill, 2010, was passed without discussion in the house during the uproar. 

Delhi's women and child welfare minister Kiran Walia welcomed the bill. She told Millennium Post, 'I fully agree with this bill, as there is a large female workforce across the nation nowadays, which needs protection from sexual harassment. I would assert that a conducive environment should be created where women in India can function without fear, intimidation and punishment. Only by doing so, women can be empowered in the true sense.'

The act covers acts like undesirable physical contact and advances, a demand or request for sexual favours or making sexually coloured remarks or showing pornography. If an organisation does not comply with the provisions of the act, it can punished with a fine of up to Rs 50,000. Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and even cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business.

The senior Communist Party of India [Marxist] leader Brinda Karat welcomed the passing of the bill but raised certain issues as well. She said, 'After the Supreme Court guidelines in the 1997 Vishaka case, it has sadly taken so many years for the government to get this bill passed in the Lok Sabha. We certainly welcome the bill, but it is sad that we could not discuss it in the house. There were several amendments that we had suggested, which have not been included in the bill.'

She added, 'This bill narrows down the definition of unorganised sector, which excludes agricultural women workers, who make up a large section of India's female work force. These women have not been included in this bill, which is very sad. We had said that women working anywhere should be included, which is a very critical point and we are hopeful that it will be included.'