India's first legislation specifically addressing the issue of workplace sexual harassment; the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (“POSH Act”) was enacted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, India in 2013.

The POSH Act provides protection against sexual harassment for every woman who has visited a workplace. That means, a woman can complain if she faces sexual harassment in her workplace or a workplace of another person. The POSH Act refers to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, legislation enacted to prevent and address instances of sexual harassment against women in the workplace. The rules associated with the Act provide detailed guidelines and procedures for its effective implementation. It defined sexual harassment, lay down the procedures for complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken in cases of sexual harassment. Although the POSH Act protects only women, there has been an increasing trend of organizations formulating gender neutral POSH policies which means that people of any gender could file a complaint of sexual harassment with their respective organization. Whenever sexual harassment had become so unpleasant and make a worker's life miserable, she would seek redressal under the extant law such as Section 354 (outraging of modesty) or Section 509 (insulting of modesty) of the Indian Penal Code, 1890. As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the POSH Act, the employer of every organization with ten or more employees must set up a grievance redressal committee known as the Internal Committee (IC). The definition of an 'employee' under the Prevention of Workplace Sexual Harassment Act is fairly wide and covers regular, temporary, ad hoc employees, individuals engaged on daily wage basis, either directly or through an agent, contract labourers, co-workers, probationers, trainees, and apprentices.

DETAILS OF ICC MEMBERS: