Need to change mindsets to make workplace safe for women, says Dr. PPK Ramacharyulu

There is a need to change the mindsets to safeguard interests of women at workplace, said secretary of Rajya Sabha Secretariat Dr. PPK Ramacharyulu at a sensitization workshop on sexual harassment at workplace.

In his concluding address, Dr. Ramacharyulu said that constitutional provisions for gender equality have been supplemented from time to time by significant women-centric legislations such as Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. 

He added that the implementation of this Act, however, had not been able to address the concerns regarding women security and safety at the workplace and thus along with legislative provisions, there was a need to change mindsets.

The two-day workshop that ended on Friday also saw Dr LR Aggarwal, Director (retd.) Government of India, Moloy Sanyal, Deputy Secretary faculty members of the Institute of Secretariat Training and Management and Ms Jyotika Kalra, Member, National Human Rights Commission & Advocate, SC.

As per complaints received by the National Commission of Women, the cases of sexual harassment of women at workplace increased from 371 in 2014 to 570 in 2017 and 533 such cases have already been reported in first seven months of 2018. 

Earlier, amid the #MeToo storm last year, the NCW had decided to take up a review of the sexual harassment of women at workplace Act to examine if its existing provisions require any amendments