Sexual harassment at workplace has been an issue, and the Indian authorities, be it the governments, the courts or the common man, all have tried their best to address the social evil, which according to the India's top court is a "deeply rooted issue that has plagued the societies worldwide".
The Supreme Court of India, while hearing a case few days ago, observed that sexual harassment in any form at workplace must be viewed seriously as it has become a serious issue in the country.
"Sexual harassment is a pervasive and deeply rooted issue that has plagued the societies worldwide. In India, it has been a matter of serious concern, and the development of laws to combat sexual harassment is a testament to the nation's commitment towards addressing this problem. Sexual harassment has existed in India for centuries, but it was only in the latter half of the 20th century that it began to gain legal recognition," said a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
Speaking to Sputnik India on the issue, senior advocate of the Supreme Court, Geeta Luthra, said there are laws and other related mechanism to deal with the issue in India but the problem still exist as the employer may want to exploit the situation till the employee is not made permanent or thesis of a student is not approved or accepted as the person in authority is looking for undue favors.
There could be other similar situations involving both women and men, the prominent lawyer said.
"We have to make sure that the environment is safe for women at workplaces," she said, adding that "India has adequate legislation but implementation is not as adequate as it could be".
"The penal laws and the POSH Act are adequate (to deal with the problem)," she said.
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) is a must for every workplace in India, and where they have less than 10 people working together, a Local Complaint Committee should be instituted, Luthra said.
To a query, she said women are facing issues because of the existing work environment which needs to be made more transparent with open spaces and accountability through safe spaces with electronic proof, including CCTVs.