DCW seeks appellate authority under sexual harassment act

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal on Wednesday urged union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to constitute an appellate authority under the sexual harassment of women at workplace act.

In a letter to the union minister, Maliwal said: "The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act was passed in 2013 but was not implemented properly in Delhi because the central government is yet to issue necessary notifications under the act. As a result of which there is no appellate authority under the act."

"This essentially means that the only resource that a victim of sexual harassment has is to approach the Internal Complaint Committee in her workplace and is thereby denied the opportunity of an appeal to an independent body."

"I write this letter to you to emphasise the urgent need for immediately issuing the apposite notifications under the act so that an appellate authority is constituted.

"I sincerely hope that you would urgently act upon this issue preferably within this week for the security and safety of working women in the national capital," Maliwal said in the letter.