Sexual Harassment Plaints: Colleges, Varsities In Odisha Asked To Form ICC, Ensure Safe Campuses

Bhubaneswar: Amid recent complaints of sexual harassment in some universities, the Odisha government has asked heads of all higher educational institutions (HEIs) to ensure a safe and secure environment for their employees and students.

In a letter to the registrar, principals of all state public, private and deemed to be universities, government, non government degree colleges and government teacher education institutions, the Higher Education Department directed for forming Internal Complaint Committee (IIC) and submit compliance report by September 30.

Mentioning about Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, the letter said: “To meet the statutory obligations under this Act, each institution is required to constitute an internal complaint committee as per section 4 of the Act. This committee is crucial for addressing grievances related to sexual harassment and fostering a positive and respectful workplace. Therefore, you are requested to form the Internal Complaint Committee at the HEI Level and submit compliance to this Department by 30.9.2024 positively.”

The Act aims to prevent and address incidents of sexual harassment of women at their place of work and provide a mechanism for redressal of complaints related to such harassment. It mandates all workplaces, including educational institutions, to set up an ICC to receive and redress complaints of sexual harassment.  The ICC should consist of a presiding officer who is a woman employed at a senior level, at least two employees, and one member from an NGO or association committed to the cause of women.

While some universities and colleges in the state do not have ICC, it is not functional at many HEIs.

Recently, Utkal University suspended an assistant professor after a girl student lodged a complaint against him for sexually harassing her. The internal complaint committee of VSSUT, Burla, recently submitted its report in connection with the alleged harassment complaint of a woman faculty member against her colleague.