Women frustrated by sexual harassment in workplace and lack of resources to actually do something about it.
Sexual harassment at work places is not uncommon. But the complaint redress mechanism does not operate in many places, including Government offices and private firms.
If at all, Sexual Harassment Committees (SHCs) though have been constituted as per the guidelines of the Apex Court in the Vishaka case, by and large remain only in name.
The Supreme Court has defined the term ‘sexual harassment’ as: physical contacts and advances; a demand or request for sexual favours; sexually coloured remarks; showing pornography; or any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.
Though such complaints are not aired, incidences are many in the southern districts, irrespective of the nature of the place of work.
Enquiries by this website’s newspaper reporters brought to light the various forms of harassment suffered by women employees at their workstations.
As these women continue to get harassed, some of them never report because they are afraid their husbands will freak out. The head of the Tirunelveli All Woman Police Station has said that not a single report had been filed.
Many women in other sectors of work such as farming and construction are even further harassed.
For instance in the construction industry women failing to yield to the contractors’ sexual needs will not be offered work the next day, said Manimekalai, Director of the Centre.
While use of abusive words is quite common in this sector, the women are also subjected to physical torture like overburdening of work.
Another threat the women in this sector face is from the money lenders.
“Many women had admitted that money lenders had attempted to sexually exploit them when women fail to return money,” she said.
The worst part of the fact is that in most of the cases, it is the husband who borrows the money without the knowledge of the wife, ultimately leaving her to suffer.
“A section of the sample women, from the survey area, revealed that the money lenders had even tried to exploit their daughters,” Manimekalai said.
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I can't access the original article, but having read the excerpts, I feel like we need some kind of disclaimer on international reports that addresses the issue of newspaper coverage of women's issues outside the U.S. as if similar problems don't exist here. A second problem is that (I say this more generally since I feel like the Centre referenced might be a slight nod to this problem) these articles tend to report on these women as victims without also addressing any of the ways in which Indian women may be resisting and organizing in response to sexual harassment.
I agree completely. I apologize if I don't put that analysis in every time I write about international issues, but I am constantly talking about the poor representation of 3rd world women's resistances, along with the false US belief of superiority in women's rights. I write of women's issues outside of the US a) because that is what I am interested in as a 3rd world feminist of color and b) bc I don't really see it addressed in many other blogs.
I do however appreciate the inquisitive eye and suggestions as to how I could do this better or issues you think we should write would be totally awesome.
Sorry Samhita- that comment wasn't addressed specifically at you. That's what I mean by blanket disclaimer (alternatively if we could get better more self-aware coverage in dominant media).