Pb women panel issues guidelines to prevent sexual harassment at workplace

No woman employee can be called by a minister or male officer alone to his office, according to fresh guidelines issued Monday by the Punjab State Women Commission.

The panel issued the fresh rules to all government departments, saying these are meant to prevent sexual harassment of any woman official.

The new guidelines to prevent sexual harassment of women at workplace come at a time when a Punjab cabinet minister is facing allegations of sending an "inappropriate text" to a woman government officer.

"We have issued guidelines to all the government departments and they have been asked to follow them properly. Action will be taken if anyone is found not following the same," Punjab State Women Commission Chairperson Manisha Gulati told reporters Monday.

"No minister or any male employee can call any woman official alone in his office during office hours or later," she said.

According to new guidelines, all male officers and ministers are required to understand that if a woman employee is called for any kind of discussion into a confined space, for example an office, there needs to be at least one other woman there for the entire duration of the meeting.

Any communication on mobile devices, including cellphones, tablets, computers and landlines, is not limited by office hours and so any objectionable content sent by a male colleague, junior or senior, to a woman, even after office hours, shall not be tolerated by the panel and be dealt with on lines of sexual harassment, as per the guidelines.

Any jokes, photos, GIFs, videos or even plain texts sent to any woman's mobile phone by a male colleague, junior or senior, shall be taken seriously and dealt with strictly, it said.

No male employee shall behave in any manner which can be construed as sexual in nature, the rules said, adding, physical contact and advances shall be considered as sexual harassment.

Sexually coloured remarks or remarks of a sexual nature about a woman's clothing or body are strictly prohibited at workplace, it said.

"Indulging in any humour laced with sexual innuendos, sexual teasing and sexual pranks is not allowed," the guidelines said.

Gulati said Government of India framed the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act in 2013 but it is not being properly "followed up" in Punjab.

The panel chairperson said a policy would also be framed for all the staff and administrators to ensure that no one harasses any woman in the future in Punjab.

She said the 'MeToo' movement has come as a blessing for women and it will ensure safer work environment for them in the future.

However, she said the commission had received three to four fake complaints of sexual harassment by women. "We refer such matters later to the police for further action," she said.