SHe-Box portal recently launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Tags: National News

SHe-Box portal 

Why in the news?

• SHe-Box portal recently launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Key points:

• It is developed in accordance with the provisions of theSexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013
• The portal is designed to serve as a central repository for ICs and LCs at State/ UT administration level workplaces as well as workplaces in the private sector.

About Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013:

• Safety and security of women in the country is of utmost priority for the Government. Keeping this in view, the Government has enacted “the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013” (SH Act) to provide protection to women against sexual harassment at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints related to it.

Key features:

• The Act covers all women,irrespective of their age, employment status or nature of work, whether working in public or private, organised or unorganised sector and whether in rural and urban areas.
•  The Act casts a legal obligation upon employersof all workplaces, public or private, to provide a safe and secure working environment free from sexual harassment, whereby every employer is mandated to constitute an Internal Committee (IC) wherever the number of employees/ workers is more than 10.
•  Similarly, the Appropriate Government is authorized toconstitute Local Committee (LC) in every district to receive complaints from organizations having less than ten workers or if the complaint is against the employer himself/herself. 
• The Act has enough provisions to deal with various aspects of the matter including penal provisions for those who violate the provisions of the Act including for the employers. 
• Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) being the Nodal Ministry, issues advisories to all Central Ministries /Departments and State Governments/ Union Territory (UT) Administrations from time to time for effective implementation of the Act and to organize workshops and awareness programmes at regular intervals for sensitizing the employers and employees.
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