To Work Without Harassment Is Your Fundamental Right
The Supreme Court Guidelines Define Sexual Harassment to Include
- Physical contact and advances.
- Demand or request for sexual favours.
- Sexually coloured remarks.
- Display of pornography.
- Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature
Sexual Harassment Takes Place If A Person
- Subjects another person to an unwelcome act of physical intimacy, like grabbing, brushing, touching, pinching etc.
- Makes an unwelcome demand or request (whether directly or by implication) for sexual favour from another person, and further makes it a condition for employment/payment of wages/increment/promotion etc.
- Makes an unwelcome remark with sexual connotations, like sexually explicit compliments/cracking loud jokes with sexual connotations/ making sexist remarks etc.
- Shows a person any sexually explicit visual material, in the form of pictures/cartoons/pinups/calendars/screen savers on computers/any offensive written material/pornographic emails, etc.
- Engages in any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which could be verbal, or even non-verbal, like staring to make the other person uncomfortable, making offensive gestures, kissing sounds, etc.
Often such behaviour goes unpunished because of hesitation on the part of victim to report such behaviour out of a sense of shame or fear or both. It is important to protest against any behaviour that they feel is unwanted and unacceptable. The Complaint Cell at IISER Berhampur has been set up with the aim of providing a platform to complain about any unwelcome behaviour.
If You Are Being Harassed, This Is What You Can Do
- Don't feel a sense of shame. Tell the harasser very clearly that you find his/her behaviour offensive.
- Don't ignore the harassment in the hope that it will stop on its own. Come forward and complain.
- Talk to somebody you trust about the harassment. It will not only give you strength but also help others in similar situations to come forward and complain.
- Keep a record of all incidents of sexual harassment in a notebook. If you feel the need to register a formal complaint later, this record will be helpful.
The Role Of The Complaint Cell
- To act as Inquiry Authority on a complaint of sexual harassment.
- To ensure that victims and witnesses are not victimized or discriminated because of their complaint.
- To take proactive measures towards sensitization of the staff, students, and faculty members of the Institute on gender issues.
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
Internal Complaints Committee of the institute comprises of the following (Office Order IISERBPR/DIR/OO/34 dt. Nov 07, 2019).
| Name | Designation | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Ruthrotha Selvi Bharathavikru | Asst. Professor | Chairperson |
| Ms. Jaya Lakshmi | Chairperson, Roland Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences | Member |
| Dr. Blessymol Varghese | Medical Officer | Member |
| Ms. Minati Padhi | Secretary, Institute for Women Development | Member |
| Dr. Sulakshana Mukherjee | Associate Professor | Member |
| Dr. Amiya Mondal | Asst. Professor | Member |