NEW DELHI: A panel constituted by the Centre to strengthen laws against sexual harassment at workplace in the wake of the recent #MeToo movement has suggested making it mandatory for employers to implement the recommendations of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) within two months.
At present, it’s left to the management and administration to act upon the recommendation, leaving room for discretion and sometimes inconclusive action against perpetrators — the panel comprising senior officials of Ministries of Home Affairs and Women and Child Development has said in its report, accessed by this newspaper.
The panel has suggested that the time-limit for making the complaint by women employees at workplaces be extended by another three months within the incident. At the moment, harassed women can register their complaints with the ICCs within three months of the incident and in case of a series of incidents, within three months from the date of last incident.
Another crucial recommendation is to allow women to approach the National or State Commission for Women.
The report is being considered by a group of ministers.