Sree Sankara College is committed to maintain and create an academic and work environment free of mental or physical harassment for students, academic staff and non-teaching staff of the college. The college maintains an Anti-Sexual Harassment policy to keep the staff and students safe from Sexual Harassments.
Definition of Sexual Harassment
The term “Sexual harassment” includes an unwanted conduct with sexual undertones if it occurs or which is persistent and which demeans, humiliates or creates a hostile and intimidating environment or is calculated to induce submission by actual or threatened adverse consequences, whether directly or indirectly, such as:
- Any unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature
- Demand or request for sexual favours
- Making sexually coloured remarks
- Showing any pornography
- Physical contact and advances
- Humiliating treatment likely to affect the health, safe dignity or physical integrity of the person concerned
- Creating an intimidating offensive or hostile learning environment
- When deprecatory comments, conduct or any such behaviour is based on the gender identity/sexual orientation of the person and/or when the classroom or other public forum of the college is used to denigrate/discriminate against a person or create a hostile environment on the basis of a person’s gender identity/sexual orientation.
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
Towards this objective, as per UGC Guidelines, college established an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) where, all complaints of the above nature, are to be routed, at the level of the college. The Internal Complaints Committee, to be comprises of:
A Presiding Officer – a woman employed at a senior level at the workplace from amongst the employees.
- Not less than two Members – from amongst the employees preferably committed to the cause of women.
- Two student representatives
- One half of the total Members nominated should be women.
Functioning of the Committee:
On receipt of a complaint ICC shall conduct preliminary enquiry so as to ascertain the truth of the allegations by collecting the documentary evidence as well as recording statements of any possible witnesses including the complainant. ICC shall then submit the preliminary enquiry report to principal along with all the original documents adduced during the preliminary enquiry proceedings. In case the allegations are not in the nature of sexual harassment, ICC may refer such complaints to the Grievance Redressal Cell. Where sexual harassment occurs as a result of an act or omission by any third party or outsider, ICC shall take all steps necessary and reasonable to assist the affected person in terms of support and preventive action. ICC shall comply with the procedure prescribed in the UGC Regulations 2015 and the Sexual Harassment Act for inquiring into the complaint in a time bound manner. If ICC concludes that the allegations made were false, malicious or the complaint was made knowing it to be untrue or forged or misleading information has been provided during the inquiry, the complainant shall be liable to be punished as per the relevant provision of the aforementioned UGC Regulations 2015. The coordinator of ICC shall receive the complaints of Sexual harassment, if any, on behalf of ICC and shall coordinate the deliberations of the ICC on the complaints received.
Who can approach to ICC for help?
Any female student, teaching and non – teaching member of the college.
Any aggrieved woman may make a complaint of sexual harassment at workplace to the ICC, within a period of three months from the date of incident and in case of a series of incidents, within a period of three months from the date of last incident. Complaints must be given in writing.
Identity and address of the aggrieved woman, respondent, witnesses, and any information related to conciliation and inquiry proceedings, contents of the complaints made under section 9, recommendations of the Internal Committee and the action taken by the employer under the provision of the Act {notwithstanding anything contained in the Right to Information Act, 2005 (22 of 2005)} shall not be published, communicated or made known to the public, press or media in any manner.
What are the possible actions that can be taken against the respondent?
- Warning
- Written apology
- Adverse remark in the confidential report
- Stopping of increments / promotion
- Suspension
- Dismissal
- Any other relevant actions
Inquiry Process:
The inquiry shall be completed within a period of Ninety days from the date of complaint.
On completion of the inquiry, the ICC shall provide a report of its findings to the principal within a period of ten days from the date of completion of the inquiry and such report be made available to the concerned parties.
If the allegations against the respondent have been proved, it shall recommend punitive actions to be taken against the respondent to the principal/Managing Director
The Principal/Managing Director shall act upon the recommendation within sixty days of receiving it.
Visit the link for details of ICC: https://www.ssc.edu.in/page.php?id=MjU2