Women's Grievance Redressal Cell

Women's Grievance Redressal Cell

Background

• Sexual harassment is a human rights violation, an infringement on life and liberty and a serious form of gender-based discrimination. Such behaviour is an affront to the dignity, gender, equality, and fundamental rights of an individual.
• Sexual harassment is contrary to anti-discrimination provisions in the Constitution of India: Article 15: "Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth" and Article 19(1)(g): Right to freedom which upholds a woman's right "to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business".
• Sexual Harassment is an offence under The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 No. 14 of 2013. Section 3(1): No woman shall be subjected to sexual harassment at any workplace.
• Educational Institutes are bound by the same Act (Section 2 (o) work place includes - (i) any private sector organization or a private venture, undertaking, enterprise, institution, establishment, society, trust, non-governmental organization, unit or service provider carrying on commercial...distribution or service.") Following this, Noida Institute of Engineering and Technology (NIET) is committed to uphold the constitutional mandate ensuring the above-mentioned human rights of all those who fall within its jurisdiction. It is with this object that the rules have been framed.

Objective and Scope of the Rules against Sexual Harassment

• These rules restate the commitment of NIET to create and maintain an ecosystem free of all sexual harassment so that all the members, irrespective of gender, can work together in harmony.
• The rules and the procedures have been framed keeping in mind Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013, and the Supreme Court's judgement regarding sexual harassment at workplace. These Rules and Procedures apply to all the students, members of the faculty and the staff, officers at NIET, members of the authorities and the committees at NIET as well as to the service providers and outsiders.

Definition of Sexual Harassment

As per The Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2013, Paragraph 2(n), Sexual Harassment includes any one of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour:

• • physical contacts and advances
• • a demand or request for sexual favours
• • making sexually coloured remarks
• • showing pornography
• • any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature;

Gender Sensitization

This works in creating awareness about gender issues and working towards creating an equilibrium where both men and women can work together with a sense of personal security and dignity.

Role and Responsibility of the Cell

The Women Grievances Redressal Cell (WGRC) has been constituted to provide the female students and employees a sense of freedom along with security and safety. The WGRC stays alert and active to prevent any sexual abuse towards the students and female workers. If the students face any harassment on the campus, they can complain to the women grievance cell. The cell members look into the issues, gather the evidence, and take necessary action against the guilty. The Cell also takes into consideration the following:

• • discrimination, either gender discrimination or otherwise,
• • any kind of abuse, loneliness, peer pressure, insecurity
• • inferiority complex in terms of physical appearance
• • hostel issues, harassment from roommates, adjusting and adopting to the new environment, etc.

Complaint Procedure

Complaints can be made, in writing, to the Director/Convenor or any of the other members of the Cell or may be dropped in the complaint boxes placed in the hostel and outside the WGRC Convenor's Office. Complaint Boxes are opened regularly and checked. Any grievance found in it is scrutinized and necessary actions are immediately taken by the cell. In case of emergency, the Director sets up a committee and the problem is attended to immediately. All the investigations are conducted very thoroughly and confidentially. The cell has been able to resolve all the issues amicably ever since it was set up in 2012. For any investigation, typical committee will consist of 4 members from the core team including secretary and convener along with one member from concern department.

Punishment for Sexual Harassment at the Workplace

Sexual Harassment, as defined earlier, shall subject the accused to disciplinary action up to or including expulsion from the Institute. However, if in fact it is determined, through the course of investigation, that the incident and thus, the accusation were fabricated, the complainant will face severe disciplinary action up to or including expulsion from the Institution. In addition to this, the accused may also be held legally liable for his or her actions under the applicable law.

Composition of the Cell

The Cell is headed by a senior lady faculty member (the Convenor) and six faculty members, who form the core group. The Director and the Proctor are the ex-officio members of this Core group. Each department has at least one faculty member representative, as part of the larger body of WGRC.

Women Grievance Redressal Committee: