INTERNAL COMPLAINT COMMITTEE
icc@tagoredch.in
What is Gender Harassment
Sexual Harassment includes such unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, as physical contacts and advances, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography and sexual demands whether by words, gestures or actions. Such conduct can be humiliating and may constitute a health and safety problem. It is discriminatory when the complainant has reasonable grounds to believe that his or her objection would disadvantage them in connection with employment, including recruiting or promotion or when it creates a hostile working environment.
Sexual harassment is emotionally abusive and creates an unhealthy, unproductive atmosphere at the workplace. Sexual harassment cases can be classified into two categories - quid pro quo and creation of a hostile working and studying environment:
(a) Under the quid pro quo (meaning this for that) form of harassment, a person or authority, usually the superior of the victim, demands sexual favours for getting or keeping a job benefit and threatens to fire the employee if the conditions are not met.
(b) A hostile work or student environment arises when a co-worker, co-student, teacher or supervisor creates a work environment through verbal or physical conduct that interferes with another co-worker’s job performance or creates the workplace atmosphere which is intimidating, hostile, offensive or humiliating and experienced as an attack on personal dignity. For example an employee tells offensive jokes. No person shall indulge or caused to be indulged under instructions from superior in sexual harassment of co-workers.
Gender Harassment policy
Objectives of the Policy Sexual Harassment policy of Tagore Dental College & Hospital has been framed keeping the following objectives in view:-
- To fulfil the directives of the Hon’ble Supreme Court enjoining all employers to develop and implement a policy against sexual harassment at the work places.
- To evolve a permanent mechanism for the prevention and redressal of sexual harassment cases and other acts of gender based violence at the college.
- To ensure the implementation of the policy in letter and spirit through proper reporting of complaints and their follow-up procedures.
- To promote a social and psychological environment this will raise awareness about sexual harassment in its various forms.
- To generate public opinion against sexual harassment and all forms of gender-based violence.
- To make the commitment to ensure an environment without gender bias or gender based discrimination in the college campus. Whereas Sexual Harassment infringes the Fundamental right of a woman to gender equality and her right to life and live with dignity, which includes a right to a safe environment free from Sexual Harassment.
To adopt Sexual harassment policy at Tagore Dental College & Hospital will mean:
- Commitment of the college to eradicate and prevent Sexual Harassment and to express absolute prohibition sexual harassment of female employees and students at work place and campus.
- To make the college campus and work place free of sexual harassment for woman. The rules seek to create and maintain an academic and work environment free of sexual harassment for female students and employees in the campus.
- Define sexual harassment both as quid pro quo and hostile work environment and an explanation of the conduct and the penalties for substantiated sexual harassment conduct.
- A detailed outline of how and whom to complain in case of sexual harassment and grievance procedures to be used.
- Clear understanding and strict rules regarding harassment by third party like, clients, visitors, patients, attendants, relatives etc.
- Express commitment to keep all sexual harassment complaints and procedures confidential & time bound.
- Clear statement that anyone found guilty of sexual harassment after investigation will be subject to immediate and appropriate disciplinary action.
- Anti retaliation policy providing for protection against retaliation to complainants, witnesses, complaint committee members & other employees involved in prevention & complaint resolution.
- To develop various promotional materials, organizing seminars and workshops.
- Steps the authorities can take to prevent sexual harassment.
- A policy/ procedure designed to deal with complaints of Sexual Harassment as one of the strategies to deal with the problem.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES
- To prevent discrimination and sexual harassment against women, by promoting gender amity among students and employees;
- To make recommendations to the Principal for changes/elaborations in the rules for students in the prospectus and the bye-laws, to make them gender just and lat down procedures for the prohibition, resolution, settlement and prosecution of acts of discrimination and sexual harassment against women, by the students and the employees;
- To deal with cases of discrimination and sexual harassment against women, in a time bound manner, aiming at ensuring support services to the victimized and termination of harassment;
- To recommend appropriate punitive action against the guilty party to the principal.
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- To maintain a workplace and learning environment free of sexual harassment and intimidation thereby ensuring safety for all employees and students.
- To handle, review and address all complaints received in a fair and timely manner.
- To assist and provide all necessary facilities for the complainant.
- To develop relevant information, communication and training materials for gender sensitization.
- To remove gender disparity and protect the fundamental rights of all employees and students.
WHAT CONSTITUTES GENDER HARASSMENT
For the purpose of this policy “Sexual Harassment” shall include, but will not be confined to the following:
- Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and/ or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature made, either explicitly or implicitly, in return for a term or condition of teaching/ guidance, employment, participation or evaluation of a person’s engagement in any college activity;
- When unwelcome sexual advances and/or verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct such as loaded comments, remarks or jokes, letters, phone calls or through e-mail or any other communication mediums, gestures, showing of pornography, lurid stares, physical contact or molestation, stalking, sounds or display of a derogatory nature, have the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s performance or of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment;
- Forcible physical touch or molestation; Eve teasing, innuendos and taunts, physical confinement against one’s will and any other act to impinge upon one’s privacy;
- Any act or conduct by a person in authority and belonging to one sex which denies or would deny equal opportunity in pursuit of education or career development, or otherwise making the environment at the Institute hostile or intimidating to a person belonging to the other sex;
- Any such conduct committed by a third party or outsider in relation to a student, teacher or non-teaching employee, or vice versa during the course of a person’s engagement with the institution.
- Stopping a vehicle and asking a female who is a stranger, if she wants a lift in the vehicle.
- Speaking to woman who is strangers and touching woman from passing vehicle.
- Cruising in vehicle looking for females to harass.
- Stopping and asking woman for directions with a view to harass her.
- Pursuing and stalking former girl friends.
- Gossiping and spreading information about a woman’s private life.
- Ridiculing a woman on the basis of her colour, ethnicity, dress or physical appearance
COMPLAINTS ON GENDER HARASSMENT
- Any woman complaining of sexual harassment shall prefer a complaint before the following authorities at the earliest point of time and in any case within 30 days from the occurrence of the alleged incident.
- The complaint shall contain all the material and relevant details concerning the alleged sexual harassment including the names of the contravener and the complaint shall be addressed to the complaint committee.
- If the complainant feels that she cannot disclose her identity for any particular reason, the complainant shall address the complaint to the head of the institution / Principal and hand over the same in person or in a sealed cover.
- Upon receipt of such complaint, the head of the institution shall retain the original complaint with him and send to the complaint committee a gist of the complaint containing all material & relevant details other than the name of the complainant & other details which might disclose the identity of the complainant.
- Oral Complaints should be reproduced in Writing. It shall be duty of the Authority/ person before whom an oral complaint is made to reduce the said complaint in writing and read out the complaint to the complainant in the language requested by the complainant and obtain the signature of the complainant.
ENQUIRIES ON GENDER HARASSMENT
- Informal method of resolving complaints shall be the part of complaint mechanism to provide platform to resolve the complaint or to stop the harassing behaviour before the complaint escalate into full blown formal complaint.
- After a complaint of Sexual Harassment has been made, the aggrieved woman may request the Internal Complaints Committee to resolve the matter by conciliating between the parties before the commencement of the enquiry proceedings.
- Authorized members of subcommittee, from within the committee or otherwise appointed, shall try to resolve the complaint informally first without the committee intervention, before the complaint goes to the formal channels of complaints committee.
- Any settlement brought about by such Dispute Resolution must be mutually acceptable to both the aggrieved woman and defendant.
- Where any settlement between the aggrieved woman and defendant is reached, the Internal Complaints Committee will record the Dispute Resolution process and the settlement reached; and will send it to the Principal, who shall implement the terms of the settlement, to the extent required therein. A copy of the same will be furnished to the aggrieved woman and the defendant.
- Notwithstanding the settlement reached in the dispute resolution process, the aggrieved woman shall have the right to withdraw from any dispute resolution process undertaken or to challenge any settlement on the ground that her consent for the settlement was obtained by force, fraud, coercion or undue influence or on the ground that the terms of settlement have been breached within a week.
- Any Dispute Resolution carried out by the Internal Complaints Committee shall be completed within a period of two weeks from the date of the receipt of the complaint.
- Where no mutually agreeable settlement can be reached during such above-mentioned Dispute Resolution process, the Internal Complaints Committee shall proceed to conduct the enquiry as per the procedure prescribed
Internal Complaint Committee Members - 2022-23
NAME OF THE MEMBER
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DESIGNATION
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Dr C J Venkatakrishnan
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Chairperson
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Dr Bhuvaneswari
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Presiding Officer
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Dr Premalatha P B
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External Expert
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Dr Meenakshi B
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External Expert
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Dr Helen Mary Abraham
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Member
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Dr Shobana
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Member
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Dr Deepak
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Member
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Dr Sathya Sri
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Member
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Mr Selvakumar
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Member
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Mrs K Shobana
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Member
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Dr Ashwathi
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Student Member
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Dr Surya
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Student Member
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Ms Meghana
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Student Member
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Mr A K Balamurugan
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Student Member
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Ms Sajidha
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Student Member
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Mr Akilash
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Student Member
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Mr Harris
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Student Member
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Ms Sharmistha
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Student Member
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Mr T Shoban
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Student Member
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Ms M Roshna sherlin
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Student Member
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Ms Padmasri
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Student Member
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Mr Someshwaran
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Student Member
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GENDER SENSITIZATION PROGRAM - 31/05/2022
WOMEN'S DAY PROGRAM - MARCH 2022
WOMEN'S DAY PROGRAM - MARCH 2023
- 2020-21 INTERNAL COMPLAINT COMMITTEE MINUTES Click here
- ANNUAL REPORT 2020-2021 Click here
- INTERNAL COMPLAINT COMMITTEE COMPOSITION Click here
- Handbook on Sexual Harassment of Women at WorkplaceClick here
- ICC action plan 2021-2022 Click here
- ICC Meeting Minutes 2022-23 Click here
- ICC ACTION PLAN JUNE 2022 - MAY 2023Click here
- ICC Annual Report June 2022 - May 2023 Click here
- Any other relevant information 2022-23 Click here
- Specific facilities provided for women in terms of a. Safety and security b. Counselling c. Common Rooms d. Day care centre for young children 2022-23 Click here
- Annual gender sensitization action plan 2022-23 Click here