TVF Row: Why social media is being used to expose sexual harassment at the workplace

Sexual harassment at the workplace is a massive problem across the world. If you don’t acknowledge this statement, here are a few numbers to go along. In India, the Women and Child Development Ministry reported 526 cases from 92 organisations in 2014. This number increased by 26 per cent in 2016. Wipro topped the list with 111 cases, followed by ICICI Bank with 87 and Infosys with 62.

These are the numbers that come out of India alone. But it's a global problem. Numbers released by the United Nations show the following. Between 40 and 50 percent of women in European Union countries experience unwanted sexual advances, physical contact or other forms of sexual harassment at their workplace. “Small surveys in Asia-Pacific countries indicate that 30 to 40 per cent of women workers report some form of harassment – verbal, physical or sexual,” the UN report said. According to a 2015 Guardian report, in the United States, more than half the allegations of sexual harassment made to US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2015 have resulted in no charge. The statistics, which span the past six years, show a consistent pattern in which claimants are unsuccessful.

According to a report by Quartz, a survey by the Indian National Bar Association (INBA) conducted earlier this year, found that of the 6,047 participants (both male and female), 38% said they’d faced harassment at the workplace. Of these, 69% did not complain about it.

This brings us to The Viral Fever (TVF) and allegations of sexual harassment made against its founder and CEO Arunabh Kumar.

After initially releasing a press release, which was perceived as a threat by several individuals, Nidhi Bisht of the company said that there are stringent HR laws that ensure its employees aren't sexually harassed. 

Ideally, according to the Prohibition of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace Act, it is mandatory for all organisations with more than 10 employees to have an internal redressal mechanism for complaints related to sexual harassment. Every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee. “For establishments which employ less than 10 workers, the act provides for setting up a five-member local complaints committee. The Complaints Committees have the powers of civil courts for gathering evidence,” the law says. 

But the problem is bigger. According to Women and Child Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi, nearly 70% of the private sector companies are yet to set up internal complaints committee. These numbers sadly aren't surprising.

While a number of individuals have alleged sexual harassment from top-level officials, they fear approaching a prevention of sexual harassment at the workplace team, even if it has been set up. According to a report in Hindustan Times, women find it difficult to lodge a complaint because they feel isolated in an organisation. The report quotes a woman who had to quit the organisation she worked at six months after the complaint because her identity was not kept a secret, in contravention of the anti-harassment law and she was soon the topic of office gossip. It also hampered her chances of getting a job elsewhere. “No one wants to hire a trouble-maker, is what one organisation told me,” she said.

This may also explain the reason behind anonymous posts on social media. Even those who share their stories with their identity know that their social media friends will share the post, thereby causing a chain reaction.

However, with the alleged accused taken as guilty until they are proven innocent, trial by social media may not be the best route to take (look at the false allegations made against AIB's Rohan Joshi). But there's no denying that pressure through mediums such as Facebook and Twitter expedites action from the top brass, including organisations, local police and the government.