‘Why women still shy away from sexual harassment’

One of the primary reasons women do not come forward to report sexual harassment or assault they suffer at workplace is shame. Humiliation is at the core of the intense emotional wounding women experience when they are sexually harassed. 

In a patriarchal society, women tolerate such acts, said Principal Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Rajasthan, Roli Singh. She was addressing a seminar organised by PHDCCI on ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace’ in Jaipur on Wednesday.

Singh said that these issues had been there earlier too on the backburner. But now things are changing with the social media. Gender sensitivity should be a part of the HR mandate and organisations should prominently display the contact numbers of the Internal Committee. It is mandatory to have regular training of officials of establishments on sexual harassment every year as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.

Leading lawyer of Delhi High Court Priya Khanna took a technical session on making women aware of what constitutes sexual harassment.