#MeToo: Minister Maneka Gandhi asks NCW to probe sexual harassment complaints expeditiously

I have asked NCW to probe expeditiously each and every complaint of sexual harassments of women at workplace, she said.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI: Union Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi has instructed the National Commission for Women (NCW) to probe all complaints of sexual harassment received by the body under #MeToo movement “expeditiously”.

“I have asked NCW to take up every #MeTooIndia complaint of sexual harassment at work for expeditious disposal as and when the complainants approach them,” Gandhi tweeted on Thursday.

Meanwhile, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said after an initial hiatus, 5-6 women, who had made public their experiences of being exploited by seniors or colleagues in their organisations, have reached out to the Commission with formal complaints.

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“In all the cases, we have initiated prompt action and are writing to the police and other relevant authorities,” Sharma told TNIE.

“We have also written to the Information and Broadcasting Secretary to ensure that all the media houses have proper Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in place to redress issues raised by women,” added the panel’s president.

Gandhi too, in a letter to the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC), said she will look into the “institutional mechanism of each media organisation immediately” to ensure they have well functioning ICCs as mandated by the law.

“The Commission urges women, who have come forward on social media and other platforms about their alleged harassments, to send their formal written complaints to ncw.metoo@gmail.com, ” said the women’s commission in a statement.