Relevance: GS-2: Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Human Resources.

Key Phrases: Employment, unpaid work, equal employment opportunity, labour force participation, women workers, equal pay, social protection, inequality, economic recovery, low income, discrimination, gender equality, women’s rights, COVID-19.

Why in News ?

• Some measures that can be implemented immediately include sensitising informal sector workers on gender-based violence and informing them in simple language about the laws that deal with such violence.

Context:

• The Female Labour Force Participation Rate, already low in India, received a further setback with the pandemic. Women were the first to lose their jobs once the lockdown was announced, two years ago, and they are yet to get back into the labour force.
• The female labour force participation rate was at 9.4 per cent for the period between September-December 2021, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). This is the lowest female labour force participation rate since 2016 when the data was first compiled.
• In understanding the all-time low female labour force participation rate, there is a need to factor in a longstanding problem — the safety of women in workplaces. All women deserve a non-discriminatory and safe working space. But those in the informal and unorganised sector deserve particular attention. The pandemic aggravated the situation for women in the informal economy.

Informal sector and Women Safety

• In terms of rural-urban differentials, informal employment constituted 96 per cent of total jobs in rural areas, where female informal employment was 98 per cent compared to 95 per cent of male informal employment.
• Seventy-nine per cent of the jobs in urban India were of an informal nature, with 82 per cent of total female workers engaged in informal employment compared to 78 per cent among urban male workers.
• Statistics show that women are more likely to be engaged in the informal sector in both rural and urban areas. They are also more likely than men to be working as informal workers in the formal sector.
• However, not much has been done in terms of understanding the violence faced by women in the informal sector which can range from harassment to sexual assault and rape. Such violence can be tied up with several aspects ranging from a male-dominated workplace to harassment by labour contractors to a lack of basic amenities for women in the workplace. A few studies also indicate that women in the informal sector face sexual harassment in workplaces.
• A recent study by Oxfam India on tea plantation workers reveals that the extremely hierarchical nature of their jobs, the migrant status of workers and the lack of other job opportunities for women tea pluckers contribute to the normalisation of workplace violence.
• Facilities such as canteens and toilets — generally available in factories where workers are predominantly men — are lacking in the fields. Because of the presence of the mostly male “sardars” (supervisors), women try to seek privacy far away from where their colleagues are working. This makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse or attacks by wild animals.
• It is now quite well known that women sugarcane cutters undergo forceful hysterectomies. These workers also face domestic violence and verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.
• Difficult working conditions are aggravated in the absence of proper redressal mechanisms and women’s access to them. It’s well-known that laws such as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, Criminal Amendment Act 2013, and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 are not implemented well and do not take the difficulties faced by women in the informal sector into account.
• An effective body for this purpose could have been the Local Complaints Committee structure under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, but such bodies are almost non-functional.
• The quest for inclusive growth in the post-pandemic should catalyse endeavours to make workplaces in the informal sector safe for women. Some measures that can be implemented immediately include
  • Sensitising informal sector workers on gender-based violence and informing them in simple language about the laws that deal with such violence;
  • Employers must ensure that complaints committees are functional
  • Ensitising local labour contractors on how to deal with cases of sexual harassment at workplaces.
• These bare minimum measures can be implemented with technical support from local women’s rights organisations. The government should also step in to improve the implementation of existing laws and increase budgetary provisions for workplace safety.

What are the laws to safeguard women in their workplace?

• Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 seeks to protect women from sexual harassment in offices or workplaces. It aims to prevent, strictly prohibit harassment at the workplace and allow redressal to women who feel unsafe in offices or places of work.
• Vishakha Guidelines, 1997 made it compulsory for employers to ensure a safe work environment for female employees.
• After the advent of the MeToo Movement, 2017, many women from the entertainment and media industry have come up with their stories of harassment at the workplace.
• An important point to consider here is that the laws and legislations appear only on paper, and a large number of women in the informal sector are still facing harassment, which has become normal for many of them. Even if they want to raise their voice against this, poverty and economic vulnerability force them to endure. If they complain to the employer, they may face more pain and discrimination as the employer may file theft charges against them.

What are the measures to ensure the safety of women at the workplace?

Some measures that can be used to safeguard women at their workplace are:

• STRINGENT LEGISLATIONS: There should be stricter enforcement of laws and regulations related to women’s safety in organizations. Every company and factory that employs women should implement a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment. Even the laws that are implemented nationwide should be executed without any discrimination.
• GREATER AWARENESS: Increased awareness among male employers and employees so that they are able to support their female co-workers instead of threatening them for sexual favours. Women should also be made conscious of their rights regarding sexual harassment at the workplace. HR should ensure that the employees in the company are well aware of their rights and duties.
• SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING: Women should be imparted self-defence training so that they are able to protect themselves from rape and harassment. Self-defence programs should be organized by various institutions, and more and more women should be a part of these programs.
• A SAFE AND HEALTHY JOB CLIMATE: The job environment should be made safe and healthy for all the employees. This will increase employee participation and productivity and reduce employee absenteeism and turnover. This way, women will also be able to give their careers a smooth ride and will not be forced to leave their jobs.
• PLATFORM TO EXPRESS CONCERNS: Every woman should be provided with a platform to raise their concerns. Setting up an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to resolve sexual harassment issues in the organizations and implement policies relating to women’s safety at the workplace. Social media is emerging as a trusted platform where women can voice their opinion and share their stories and experiences. But not every woman has access to social media, neither their workplace has an established committee for redressal.
• ENCOURAGE VOCATIONAL TRAINING AMONG WOMEN: Every woman should be provided vocational training, and an entrepreneurial skill must be imbibed in them so that they become independent, and it will reduce gender discrimination.
• PROVIDE EQUIPMENT FOR THE SAFETY OF WOMEN: The company or organization should have a provision to come up with equipment such as pepper spray that will ensure safety for women employees. Moreover, an all-time active redressal committee should be mandated in every organization to ensure safety for women.

Way Forward:

• Women’s safety at the workplace has become a matter of serious concern in the country. Most of the victims are found in informal sectors, who don’t have any means to exercise their rights.
• Women from formal sectors are mostly educated and can raise their voices against men who tend to sexually assault them through social media and redressal laws. But women who are not educated normalize the daily torture from their male co-workers.
• Hence, we have a long way to go to protect every woman in the country from harassment at the workplace.

Source: Indian Express

Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the laws to safeguard women in their workplace in India? What are the measures to ensure the safety of women at the workplace? Examine.