Civil

Disclosure of compliance under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act in Annual Reports of Private companies now made Mandatory

13.08.2018

For ensuring safety of women at workplaces in the private sector, disclosure regarding implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 in the Directors Report of every company is mandatory from now onwards. Its non-compliance would draw penal provisions. Vide its notification dated 31st July, 2018, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has amended the Companies (Accounts) Rules, 2014, issued under Section-134 of the Companies Act, by inserting clause(X). Section-134 of the Companies Act, 2013, provides for the disclosure framework which the Directors of every company are required to comply with in the Annual Reports. The amendment would cast higher responsibility on the Directors of the Companies for implementation of the Act.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has been making continuous efforts to mainstream the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013. A number of entities have been empanelled who can provide training to any organization on effective implementation of the provisions of the Act. Further, the ministry has provided a facility to all working women to file complaints under this Act directly with the ministry through the SHE-Box. All the ministries/ departments under the central government as well as the organizations working directly under them directed to constitute the Internal Complaints Committee as mandated under them Act. A number of instructions have been issued by the DoPT on the request of the ministry to provide immediate relief to the women working in central government against sexual harassment at workplace.

As a nodal Ministry for the advancement of women and children, the Ministry formulates plans, policies and programmes; enacts/ amends legislation, guides and co-ordinates the efforts of both governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the field of Women and Child Development. The objective is to ensure empowerment of women and to ensure their safety and support them to contribute as equal partners in development in an environment free from violence and discrimination.

Tags : Sexual Harassment Enactment Compliance

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