Hyderabad: It’s certainly just the tip of the iceberg, but some 665 employers have been booked under IPC Section 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), across the country. This, before the #MeToo movement erupted with women employees, throwing off their inhibitions and recounting cases of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault by their male employers going back many years in some cases.
The number of cases registered against employers for sexual misconduct has risen by 57 per cent since 2014. Up to July 2018, Telangana state had 58 cases in the last four years and Andhra Pradesh, 33. The complaints are of bosses forcing colleagues to have physical contact, making unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures, demanding or requesting sexual favours, showing pornography to a woman against her will and making sexually coloured remarks.
The spectrum of sexual harassment at the workplace is wide and women employees are subjected to all its forms.
