UGC Instructs Universities to Hold Workshops to Spread Awareness on Sexual Harassment at Workplace
UGC has directed all institutions across India to undertake a special drive to review and take action against any pending cases of sexual harassment on their campuses before Dec 09, 2022.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) urges all Higher Educational Institutes to organize a particular drive to spread awareness of sexual harassment of women in the workplace. UGC has written to Vice-chancellors and heads of all universities and colleges to conduct a workshop for their employees to raise awareness about the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. Furthermore, the UGC also instructed all institutes across the country to review all the pending cases of sexual harassment on their campus and take appropriate action before Dec 09, 2022.
Additionally, UGC asked the heads of all institutes to commemorate Nov 25, as the International Day Elimination of Violence Against Women. According to the UGC (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015, the obligations of educational institutions in this regard as well as the processes for filing and handling any complaints have been outlined for the institutions.
Safety Practices Freshers Can Follow at a New Workplace
The most prevalent form of workplace harassment is sexual harassment. According to reports, 54% of all employees have encountered sexual harassment at work. Employers need to make an effort to aggressively prevent and eliminate sexual harassment in their workplaces due to its ubiquity and detrimental impacts on an organization's productivity, morale, and culture.
Supervisors and managers cannot monitor sexual harassment 24/7. However, Institutes/companies, by enlisting with the aid of employees, report, address, and act upon any harassment episode. Formally, reporting the incident can encourage others as well. Employees have a crucial role to play as active bystanders. Providing employees with proper training and resources will be an essential step in leveraging the power of the masses to create a safe and healthy environment in the workplace.
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