UGC issues guidelines on safe environment for women in institutions

The University Grants Commission has developed guidelines for a safe, secure environment for women and women cells in higher educational institutions

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has developed the "Guidelines on basic facilities and amenities for a safe, secure environment for women and women cell (for sensitisation, policy implementation, monitoring, and grievance redressal) in higher educational institutions (HEIs)" to provide a safe environment to women students, the Ministry of Education stated in a press release.

The press release said that all HEIs have been instructed to have an internal complaints committee (ICC) under the provision of Section 4 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

The ministry has issued advisories in order to sensitise the issue of a safe working environment for female employees, according to the Act.

The UGC has started a number of initiatives to improve the safety of women and to provide a healthy and secure atmosphere for them on campus in HEIs.

The UGC has notified UGC (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015, which is binding on universities and colleges.

The statutory body has set up a toll-free no. 1800-111-656 for registration of grievances related to sexual harassment.

The UGC has directed universities/colleges to submit data of annual returns on cases of sexual harassment and fill out an online compliance of gender audit at the SAKSHAM web portal.