Shocking: At least 2 women harassed at work daily in 2017, says women's panel

NEW DELHI: At least two women faced harassment at workplace daily in India in 2017, states the National Commission for Women (NCW). 

Tweeting about it, the commission wrote: “2 women harassed at workplace daily in 2017.”

The women panels reportedly received an average of 1.7 complaints each day. Between January 1, 2017 and December 12, 2017, the commission received 539 complaints, says a report in the Times of India.

The harassment complaints are of two kinds – professional or sexual in nature. 

Among the states, the maximum complaints were from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. The five states comprised of 60% of all complaints.

According to experts, the actual figures of woman harrasement at workplace might be way higher, since most cases go unreported.

As per existing sexual harassment laws, the first complaint needs to be raised with the firm's internal committee or district complaints committee in unorganized sector workers. 

But most women avoid approaching the committee for fear of repercussions or its ineffectiveness. In many firms, the committee has not even been set up or not a functional.

Despite the existence of redressal systems called POSH (Policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment) and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, women avoid raising complaints for the fear of repercussions at workplaces still dominated by men.