Internal Complaints (ICC) Committee

Useful link to documents :

1. UGC Regulations - Sexual Harrassment
2. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
3. Reconstitution of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the Institute

The present members of the Complaint Cell are:

Contact Email : comm_icc@iiserbpr.ac.in   

To Work Without Harrassment 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 her/his behaviour offensive.

· Don't ignore the harassment in the hope that it will stop on its own. Come forward and complain.

· Talk about the harassment to somebody you trust. It will not only give you strength but also help others in similarsituations 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.

· Complaints can be submitted to to the Internal complaints Committee through email comm_icc@iiserbpr.ac.in

 

The Role of the Internal Complaints' Committee:

· To act as Enquiry 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.