Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Women and Child Development Department has directed for urgent display of awareness materials related to Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, at multiple conspicuous places in the workplace/ school/ college/ institution.
In an official letter to all senior government officials, Additional Secretary to the Government, Jyotishankar Mohapatra, emphasised that implementation of the POSH Act was inadequate. “An important step in this direction is creating awareness amongst all personnel in work places and amongst students. It is imperative that sensitivity and knowledge about this Act is generated not only amongst girls and women but also amongst boys and men,” it read.
It is a comprehensive law aimed at protecting women from sexual harassment at their workplaces and providing mechanisms for redressal of complaints.
As part of the initiative, a draft of the “Do’s and Don’ts” IEC (Information, Education and Communication) board has been circulated. The document outlines clear behavioural guidelines and educates individuals on identifying and preventing sexual harassment.
“It must be ensured that all ICs are onboarded onto the She Box Portal where there details are registered,” it added.
This came days after a second-year BEd student of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College in Balasore died by self-immolation due to alleged harassment by an assistant professor and institutional neglect.
