The Government of India has made a law called ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013” which has come into force on 9th December, 2013. Any person making unwelcome physical contact and explicit sexual overtures, demanding or requesting sexual favours, making sexually coloured remarks or showing pornography against the will of a woman shall be guilty of the offence of Sexual Harassment and Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code 1860 prescribes punishment for this offence, ranging from simple to rigorous imprisonment, for term one year to three years, or with fine, or with both.

SJRC aims to provide a safe working environment and prohibits any form of sexual harassment. The College is committed to create a safe and healthy working environment that enables its employees and students to work without fear of prejudice, gender bias and sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment at the work place or in the course of official duties, if involving employees or students of the College shall be considered a grave offence, and is therefore punishable under the applicable laws.

Accordingly, the College has formulated this Policy called "The Anti sexual Harassment Policy” to create and maintain a safe working environment where all employees treat each other with courtesy, dignity and respect irrespective of their gender, race, caste, creed, religion, place of origin, sexual orientation, disability, economic status or position in the hierarchy. This policy intends to prohibit occurrences of any form of sexual harassment.

Making a false compliant of sexual harassment or providing false information regarding a complaint will also be treated as a violation of policy. Violation of this policy will call for strict disciplinary action. This policy will extend to all employees of the College including those employed on contractual basis and students.

Sexual Harassment would mean and includes any or all of the following.

• Any unwelcome sexually determined behavior such as physical contact or advances, requests or demand for sexual favours, either explicitly or by implication, in return for employment, promotion, examination or evaluation of a person towards any College activity;
• Any unwelcome sexual determined behavior involving verbal, non verbal or physical conduct such as sexually coloured remarks, jokes, letters, phone calls, SMS or email communication, gestures, showing of pornography, lucid stares, physical contact or molestation, stalking, sounds, display or pictures, signs, verbal or non verbal communication which offend the individual’s sensibilities and affects his or her dignity performance at the workplace;
• Eve-teasing, innuendos and taunts, physical confinement against one’s will and likely to intrude upon the individual’s privacy;
• Any act of showing pornography or any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non verbal conduct of sexual nature

Objectives

• To provide a safe working environment at the workplace.
• To uphold Women’s’ Right to Protection against Sexual Harassment and the Right to Livelihood and towards that end for the Prevention and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of women.
• To evolve an effective mechanism for the prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of employees and students at the work place or in the course of official duties with the college.
• To promote an environment that will raise awareness about and deter acts of sexual harassment of employees and students of the college.
• To ensure implementation of the Policy in letter and spirit by taking all necessary and reasonable steps including but not limited to constitution of appropriate Committees for purposes of gender sensitization and to conduct enquires into complaints of sexual harassment.
• To uphold the commitment of the College to provide an environment that is free from discrimination and violence against women.
• To generate general awareness against sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

Members of Anti Sexual Harassment Cell:

Internal Complaints Committee

• An Internal Complaints Committee has been constituted by the College to consider and redress complaints of Sexual Harassment under the provisions of The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and as per the provision(s) of any other enactment, if any, for the time being in force in India and as per the Rules there in as per the notification issued by Ministry of Women and Child Development dated 9th December, 2013.
• The Committee has an Advocate who is familiar with the subject of Sexual Harassment, as a third party member.

Filing of a Complaint

Any aggrieved employee or a student, who is subjected to sexual harassment directly or indirectly, may submit a complaint in writing of the alleged incident to any or all the members of the Committee in writing with his/her signature within three months from the date of occurrence of incident along with supporting and relevant details/proofs such as, physical copies of emails, recording, details of dates, places, witnesses, etc. The evidence submitted should be tamper proof.   The Committee shall maintain a register to endorse the complaint received and keep the same in the custody. The contents of the complaint endorsed in the register shall be kept strictly confidential, if it is so desired, except to use the same for discreet investigation.

The Committee shall hold a meeting with the Complainant within ten working days of the receipt of the complaint, but no later than fifteen working days in any case. In exceptional cases, emergency meeting may be convened as per the requirement.

At the first meeting, the Committee shall hear the Complainant and record her/his allegations. The Complainant can also submit any corroborative material with a documentary proof, oral or written, etc. to substantiate the complaint. If the Complainant does not wish to depose in person due to embarrassment of narration of events, a lady officer for lady employee(s) and a male officer for male employee(s) desirous of lodging such complaint shall meet and record the statement.

Thereafter, the Committee shall summon the person against whom the Complaint is made for the purposes of a deposition before the Committee and an opportunity shall be given to such a person to give an explanation to the allegations, where after, an ‘Inquiry’ shall be conducted and concluded.

Members of Internal Complaints Committee ( ICC )