Year on, PU depts yet to display guidelines on sexual harassment
Internal quality assurance cell of university had issued an advisory regarding this to all departments in October last year
Even though one year has passed since the departments of Panjab University were directed to display the guidelines on sexual harassment, they are still reluctant to follow the same.
In October last year, the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the university had written a letter to all the departments of PU asking them to display the guidelines under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. PU has a total of 78 departments and 15 centres.
Though the university has displayed guidelines at a few places around the campus, the departments are yet to follow the directions.
According to the Vishaka guidelines of the Supreme Court, awareness of the rights of female employees should be created in particular by prominently notifying the guidelines (and appropriate legislation when enacted on the subject) suitably.
The then head of IQAC, PU, said the job of the cell was to issue advisory to the departments, however, the decision whether to follow the guidelines or not lay with them.
He further said though PU offered a safe work environment and adopted a transparent mechanism, the departments could still follow the guidelines as these were recommended by the government.
The major departments, including University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), University Institute of Laws (UILS), biophysics department, chemistry department, University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET) have not displayed these guidelines.
However, wherever the guidelines are put up in the university, the contact address and email Id of Panjab University Committee Against Sexual Harassment (PUCASH) is also mentioned.
Former PUCASH chairperson Manvinder Kaur said she was not sure about how many departments had already put up the guidelines, but it was unfortunate on part of those which hadn’t. The committee had written to the registrar and got the guidelines displayed at various places on campus, she added.
Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) president Chetan Chaudhary said, “Many cases of sexual harassment have come up in the university in recent years and it is unfortunate that the department have not displayed the guidelines to prevent workplace sexual harassment, which they must do.”
Dean of the university instructions and officiating vice-chancellor, PU, professor Shankar Ji Jha said he will enquire about the matter and issue a circular if needed.
