THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government seems to have dumped the most potent weapon the law has provided to protect highly vulnerable women workers in the unorganised sector from sexual harassment.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, mandates the setting up of local complaints committee in each district to receive complaints. Most of the 14 districts in the state have not constituted a local complaints committee (LCC).
Some districts, like Thrissur and Palakkad, have formed the LCC but have failed to take the subsequent steps like appointing nodal officers at taluk, block and gram panchayat levels.
The LCCs will have been a source of succour for construction workers, domestic servants and sales girls; three groups highly vulnerable against sexual abuse.
District collectors seems to have only a vague idea. Though he said such a committee was essential, Kottayam collector U V Jose said he was not sure whether an LCC was set up in his district. Palakkad collector P Marykutty said that an LCC had been set up in the district after she took charge three months before.
“I don’t know whether any complaints have been registered,” she said. She was also not sure whether nodal officers had been posted. The LCCs should have been in place at least by the middle of 2014.
Advocate Sandhya Raju of Human Rights Legal Network said that government authorities were generally in the dark about such a redressal system. Further, formation of the LCC is only a fraction of the job done.
“The system will work only if the unorganised sector workers are made aware of such a system and its processes,” Sandhya said.
Though the LCCs have only recommendatory power, it is felt that the body can empower women in distress.
“The LCC can support and guide victims. It can ensure that women who file a complaint are not victimised in future. Had these bodies been functional, we might have even seen a spurt in harassment complaints,” said Seena, an advocate based in Thrissur.
