The recent allegations of molestation made against The Viral Fever’s CEO and co-founder Arunabh Kumar have once again brought out the ever pressing issue of sexual harassment and discrimination at work.
Not only are women paid less for equal work, they have to put up with unnecessary patronising behaviour, their decisions are constantly questioned, and they have to struggle to avoid sexual advances, sexist remarks and ‘jokes’. According to a 2014 survey, [envoke_twitter_link]47% of working women in India feel that workplace harassment is the biggest issue they face[/envoke_twitter_link].
Our ongoing campaign with ILO, #FutureOfWork, has revealed the double standards that women deal with in advanced and ‘progressive’ sectors. It has often led to careers being ruined, women being forced to quit work.
What’s worse is that there aren’t enough mechanisms in place for complainants of sexual harassment to seek redressal. The Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act (2013) requires workplaces to constitute an internal complaints committee to address issues of sexual harassment. Human Resources departments are also present to handle these situations of casual to extreme sexism. But this mechanism seems to have failed than having helped a complainant.
If you have a story of workplace harassment to share, would like to share your opinion on the recent incident or policy reforms that can be put in place to tackle sexual harassment at work, write and publish your story here using #SexismAtWork. You can also publish your story anonymously by using a pseudonym to create an account here.