Sexual Harassment Towards Women at Workplace: An Analytical Study
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The subject of ‘Sexual Harassment Towards Women at Workplace: An Analytical Study’ is an important constituent of the social environment in the country. Sexual harassment has pierced into our society, country and also in our cultural structure. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon with it extending across the span and length or both the developing and developed countries. Sexual Harassment at workplace is a violation of women’s right to gender equality, life and liberty. It creates an insecure and hostile work environment, which discourages women’s participation in work, thereby adversely affecting their economic empowerment and the goal of inclusive growth. Sexual harassment has a demoralizing effect on women and they feel objectified and stop asserting. Sexually harassed women suffer from simple irritation to headache, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self- esteem to deep rooted anxiety. Thus, Sexual harassment has a major impact on the mental and emotional well-being of women. Some of the psychologically damaging effects of sexual harassment at work include long term depression and post traumatic stress disorder which includes re-experiencing the trauma, and avoiding people or things that may remind the victim of the harassment. Research shows that sexually harassed women withdraw socially, and are not able to function in their day to day social setting. The feeling of shame, stigma and humiliation attached to the experiences make them socially very vulnerable. Sexual harassment is being linked to sleep disorders which may be due to the stress and anxiety of the event that affect the sleep habit. As indicated by some studies, in some extreme cases, women who have experienced frequent unwanted sexual harassment have attempted to commit suicide out of desperation for not being able to address voice or avoid the harassment. The Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 focuses on prevention of sexual harassment at workplace and provides a redressal mechanism. The Act has been highlighted over the last year due to the efforts of the government to ensure its enforcement. The Act upholds women‘s fundamental rights to equality, right to live with dignity and right to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business which includes a right to a safe working environment, free from sexual harassment as provided under various Articles of the Indian Constitution as well
Keywords
Sexual Harassment, Women