n light of the #MeToo movement, the Punjab women commission has issued guidelines to all government departments.
In the case of Charanjit Channi, commission’s chairman Manisha Gulati says there is no complaint against the minister. However, the chairman will meet the Chief Minister about this.
She says the commission can take suo motu cognisance in case there is specific information about the victim. She supports Punjab affairs incharge Asha Kumari, who has said that sending a message is not under the #MeToo movement.
She says false complaints are also coming under the MeToo movement. The Commission will also take action in false complaints cases.
The guidelines:
1. These rules are meant to be followed by everyone employed in various offices of Government of Punjab.
2. Sexual harassment may occur not only where a person uses sexual behaviour to control, influence or affect the career, salary or job of another person, but also between co-workers.
3. All male officers and ministers are required to understand that if a female employee is being called for any kind of discussion or meeting into a confined space (for eg an office), he needs to have a minimum of one other woman in the office for the entire duration of the meeting.
4. No kind of discussions, which include the salary appraisals of the female junior or involving money, shall be done with any indication of receiving any favour from the female employee.
5. No male employee shall behave in any manner which can be construed as sexual in nature.
6. Physical contact and advances shall be considered as sexual harassment.
7. Sexually coloured remarks or remarks of a sexual nature about a female’s clothing or body are strictly prohibited at workplace.
8. Indulging in any humour laced with sexual innuendoes, sexual teasing and sexual pranks is not allowed.
9. The various Courts of India have accepted any conversation done over chatting and messaging apps as admissible in the court of law. Hence any jokes, photos, GIFs, videos or even plain text sent to any female’s mobile phone by a male colleague, junior or senior, shall be taken as serious and sexual harassment of the female employee, and shall be dealt with strictly.
10. Any communication happening on mobile devices, including mobile phones, tablets, computers or even landlines, are not limited by office hours and hence any objectionable content sent by a male colleague, junior or senior, to a female, even outside the office hours, shall not be tolerated by the Commission and be dealt with in lines with sexual harassment.
