IN TALK WITH
“People who commit crimes are not born criminals. They are simply misguided people.”
introduction
As our country and society are growing, several underlying problems are surfacing. And there is a need to address these issues for a better life, for every citizen.
Sexual harassment is a serious issue faced by a lot of people, especially women in their workplaces and offices. Such workplaces also include Colleges and Universities. Thus, it becomes an issue that needs to be addressed by appropriate training.
It is not only the academic and non-academic staff that needs to be educated, but the students also need to be made aware of such pressing issues.
To learn more about the policies and acts of Sexual Harassment put forth by the law and by several institutions, we had a fruitful session with Mrs. Raina Khatri Tandon; who is the Founder/CEO of Right2rise.® and a Certified POSH /POCSO specialist & Human Rights Expert.
She very efficiently explained the POSH Act and the various steps that can be taken to prevent sexual harassment in Academic institutions.
Rishabh Mehta
What is the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act (2013)?
Mrs. Raina Khatri Tandon
POSH is the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act for women at workplaces; prevention, prohibition, and re-address act 2013. The act keeps all the workplaces safe as well as ethical for working by curbing harassment and sexual abuse.
Many people think that a workplace is only a place where we physically go, like a school, an office, or a restaurant, but the law has described it beautifully, as ‘Every place you see around you is a workplace’.
Hence, the POSH act is for every individual above the age of 18 to keep them safe, compliant, and to help you maintain a good mental state as you work. In this act, major attention is directed towards women as it is observed that they are the major victims of sexual harassment as compared to men.
However, with increasing gender equality policies coming into play, many colleges and other workplaces are developing gender-neutral sexual harassment prevention policies.
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Rishabh Mehta
A majority of our audience is the academic faculty. So, can you suggest some means by which colleges and universities can accommodate such policies?
Mrs. Raina Khatri Tandon
There are 5 things people need to know about POSH,
It can occur as Act Section 2.2- Physical contact and advances. According to this section, if someone makes a physical contact advancement that is unwelcomed, it counts as sexual harassment.
Any sexually colored remarks are regarded as sexual harassment.
If there is any demand or request for sexual favors, it counts as sexual harassment.
Any verbal or non-verbal, physical, or non-physical conduct of sexual nature is considered as sexual harassment. Moreover, no one can spread sexual/pornographic pictures or graphical content at workplaces.
Keeping all these in mind, the authorities of the colleges bear the responsibility of the students enrolled under them as they are the future and the pride of the nation.
Thus, all the responsible figures should bring awareness about this act because such harassment instances are very common everywhere. For doing so, we should have a gender committee in place. We must formulate and generate policies through this committee.
Hence, the first step is Awareness. These policies have been made to be inclusive of everyone in the workplace so that they can put forth their views and feel safe. To prevent any crime from taking place, everyone should be aware of these policies and understand the act carefully, thus avoiding any kind of gestures or verbal connotations that may be accounted for sexual harassment
Moreover, awareness programs should be conducted and a gender committee should be formulated to provide a safe workplace for each individual. This is why Right to Rising is one of the top companies in India, as we believe in creating safe workspaces.
Rishabh Mehta
What are the fundamental rights that every staff and faculty member should be aware of in the college workspace?
Mrs. Raina Khatri Tandon
A lot of us are unaware of our constitutional and fundamental rights. Article 14 talks about the ‘Fundamental Rights of Women to Equality’. It emphasizes on understanding the behaviors of the opposite gender and informs the society that men and women are equal. This understanding assists us in work together as a society.
Article 15 talks about the ‘Right to Life’. It states that everyone has the right to live in the way they propose to.
Similarly, Article 19 talks about the ‘Right to Dignity’, where every member of the country has the right to be treated with dignity.
Further, Article 21 states that every individual has the right to practice whatever occupation, trade, or business they wish to, without being discriminated against on the grounds of their gender.
These are 4 fundamental rights that need to be followed in every institution and as academicians.
Rishabh Mehta
How should the Professors counsel the students and educate them about such acts?
Mrs. Raina Khatri Tandon
We need to understand that these acts are meant to sensitize the workplace and to understand each other. So, we must always get an expert who has been working towards POSH to sensitize this to the students. Separate training is conducted for principals, teachers, and so on, where each group is trained as per their job.
Each of them will be educated and trained to help raise awareness, to identify their role, and how to prevent sexual abuse, bullying, unwanted gestures, etc.
Sometimes, jokes about certain things like appearances, religion, caste, etc. can adversely affect the other person, eventually leading to mental health issues.
Likewise, we may touch, or hit on different body parts of the other person, perhaps unintentionally, but the other person may feel uncomfortable with it as we all come from different backgrounds. In such a situation, we should apologize and tell them it was unintentional and will not be repeated.
No matter your gender, as a student, you must be aware of what is happening around you.
As an academician, it is important to demark the line between friendship and uncomfortable touch from people of the opposite gender.
Also, this must be taught to students in a very polite manner. Students should be taught to support other students who face bullying and other unethical activities, even when being done unintentionally.
“People who commit crimes are not born criminals. They are simply misguided people.”
Hence, children need to be educated and made aware of such behaviors.
There can be a case where a student comes and harasses a teacher. In such a situation, the teacher must be aware of what set of actions to take. We train people about these things, along with a sense of law, order, and discipline, as per the Act.
This is important because one can only go so long with misbehavior without being called out on it, and having to face repercussions of their actions.
These are the major reasons why a gender committee and cell should exist in every institution and college. Moreover, they should have one expert from our field. In case any such action is needed, academicians can reach out to Right2rise, and they can visit www.right2rise.in or they can email the team at rkt@right2rise.com or call them at 7208017715.
They also have an app through which individuals can file complaints if they find themselves in such situations and Right2rise will send a team to help them.
Right2rise exists because every person has the right to rise to wonderful heights.
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