How Should Internal Committees Respond When Employers Ignore Sexual Harassment Complaints?

Kritarth Consulting
What if the employer or establishment head abstains from initiating disciplinary action in sexual harassment complaints filed by the aggrieved woman?

In one case, the employer or the established head, delegated with authority to act as the appointing authority, disciplining authority, and punishing authority, abstained from his duty to initiate disciplinary action steps as per the standing orders applicable to the employee-respondent in the sexual harassment written complaints filed by an aggrieved woman employee. This was done in spite of the said complainant forwarding a copy of her sexual harassment complaint addressed to the presiding officer of the internal committee constituted at her workplace, who, on behalf of the IC, constantly followed up with the aforesaid disciplinary authority.

Guidance for internal committee members

Valuable guidance in dealing with similar imbroglios will enhance the knowledge and know-how of the present and future internal committee members. Wherever the internal committee is competent and well-versed with their legal duties and capacity to effectively deal with such imbroglios or ticklish situations, no perpetrator will be more powerful than the prey of the perpetrator's acts and behavior of sexual harassment.

Regards, Harsh Kumar Sharan, Kritarth Consulting Team of Special Educators
8th July 2020
pallav.pareek
Role of the Internal Committee in Non-Implementation of Decisions

The Internal Committee (IC) will not have much to do here except that either of the parties can write to the Designated Officer (DO) for the non-implementation of the decision of the Committee.

Additionally, as an External Member, we must warn the management of the risk that the management is putting the company in by not implementing the decision of the Committee.

For more information, visit the insights on these topics at www.ungender.in.

Regards,
Pallavi Pareek
Founder, www.ungender.in
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