Brahmapur, Dec, 29: An awareness program on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was organized on Saturday in the conference hall of the Brahmapur Municipal Corporation (BeMC). The program was conducted under the guidance of Mayor Sanghamitra Dalei and Commissioner Prathamesh Aravind Rajeshirke.
During the program, detailed discussions were held on various aspects of the Act, along with the organization of an elocution competition. Emphasis was laid on the powers and responsibilities of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), ensuring a healthy and safe working environment for women at the workplace, and the need to conduct prompt, impartial, and transparent inquiry and hearings after receiving complaints from women who are victims of sexual harassment.
It was highlighted that sexual harassment should be treated as a violation of service rules, that inquiries must be completed within 90 days from the initiation of a case, and that within 60 days of receiving the inquiry report, the head of the office and competent authorities must take appropriate action against the guilty.
Addressing the gathering, Kalyani Sanghamitra Devi, Presiding Officer of the Internal Complaints Committee of the corporation, stated that sexual harassment of women at the workplace is a reflection of gender discrimination and deep-rooted anti-women mindsets, and that a change in such attitudes is essential.
Among others present at the program were Deputy Commissioner Ashirbad Parida; Assistant Commissioners Ronit Kumar, Bikram Sunthi, and Bishal Gaurav; Executive Engineer Nageswar Subuddhi; ICC members Smita Das, Gitanjali Samantray, and Bhagyalakshmi Behera; and NGO representative Ranjana Mishra. Women employees of the corporation and others also attended the event.