Preamble
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace or the classroom violates human rights and other laws. It is imperative that one is able to identify sexual harassment conduct and knowing how to respond to it. This is critical both for the individual as well as for SIT as an institution.
Srinivas Institute of Technology Position
Srinivas Institute of Technology is committed to upholding the Constitutional mandate to combat sexual harassment of women and ensure that human rights of all those who fall within its jurisdiction are safeguarded. The Internal Committee was formed in 2019 to act as a vehicle to address the issue of sexual harassment of women at workplace.
Role of Internal Committee
The roles of the said committee are as follows:
Why you should care?
- You as a student/staff member can be a potential victim. You need to understand how to recognize and deal with sexualharassment.
- You can also be seen as the harasser. It is your responsibility to ensure that your behaviour isappropriate.
- Potential consequence for a student seen as a harasser - disciplinary action could be in the form of warning, written apology, debarring entry into a hostel/ campus, suspension for a specific periodof
time, debarring from exams, debarring from holding posts such as member of committees or even expulsion.
- Potential consequence for a staff member seen as a harasser - disciplinary action could be in the form of warning, written apology, stoppage of increment, withholding of promotion, debarring entry into campus, suspension for a specific period of time, debarring from holding posts such as member of committees or evendismissal.
Objectives
What is sexualharassment?
- Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such as loaded comments, remarks or jokes, letters, phone calls or emails, gestures, exhibition of pornography, lurid stares, physical contact, stalking, sounds or display of a derogatorynature.
- When a person/s uses, with a sexual purpose, the body or any part of it or any object as an extension of the body in relation to another person without the latter's consent or against that person's will, such conduct will amount to sexualassault.
- 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 SIT is used to denigrate/ discriminate against person(s), or create a hostile environment on the basis of a person's gender identity/ sexualorientation.
When?
- Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of teaching / guidance, employment, participation or evaluation of a person's engagement in any SITactivity.
- Such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual's performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
Sexual Harassment
VERBAL: Unwelcome comments/sexual epithets. VISUAL: Offensive pictures/photos/cartoons.
PHYSICAL: Unwelcome physical contact. Standing too close/ogling/suggestive gestures.
WRITTEN: Unwelcome personal letters/e-mails.
Applicability of SIT’s Policy
- Complaintsmade.
- By a member of SIT against any other member of SIT.
- By a resident against a member of SIT or made by a member against aresident.
- By an outsider against a member of SIT or by a member of SIT against anoutsider.
- Irrespective of whether sexual harassment is alleged to have taken place within or outside the campus.
- Members of SIT.
- Students.
- Teachers.
- Non-teaching staff.
- Residents - Temporary or permanent resident of any premises allotted to a member of SIT.
- Outsider - Any person who is not a member or aresident.
- Irrespective of whether made in a one-to-one or in a multiple person context e.g.
classroom.Examples
- Repeated and unnecessary derogatory remarks about any gender in the classroom.
- Repeated unwelcome sexual attention (comments, questions about an individual's sexuality or sexlife).
- Repeated and unnecessary comments by a professor, supervisor, colleague or fellow-student about the person's own sex life and desires.
- Repeated undesired physical contact, such as brushing up against someone.
- Direct or indirect threats/bribes for unwanted sexualactivity.
- Sexual innuendos.
- Intrusive sexually explicit questions.
- Sexually suggestive sounds orgestures.
- Repeated requests for unwelcome dates.
- Jokes about sex or those demeaning to persons which are based on theirgender.
- Spreading rumours about a person's sexuality.
- Displays of sexually graphic material.
- Inappropriatetouching.
Seven Things You Should Know about Sexual Harassment
- How to respond?
- Harassment is unlikely to stop untilconfronted.
- SIT supports and encourages all members of the community who believe they are being sexually harassed to take steps to end the harassment.
Steps you can take
- Communicate to the harasser that his conduct is offensive and unwelcome.
- Keep records of any verbal or written communication you have with the harasser.
- It is not necessary that you personally confront the harasser. If you are uncomfortable, seek help.
When you needhelp...
- Talk to or email any member of the Internal Committee(IC).
- Complain orally or in writing to any member of the Internal Committee(IC)
- Remember... filing of a complaint WILL NOT adversely affect your career/grades / academic status. What happens to a complaint?
- If the aggrieved person wishes to, the IC may take steps to settle the matter between the complainant and the respondent through conciliation. If settled, the IC will record the settlement and recommend no furtheraction.
- Where the aggrieved person does not request conciliation, IC initiates an enquiry.
- IC will complete the enquiry and submit a report to the Director within amonth.
-The Director will initiate action within 10 days of receipt of report
- During the enquiry
- All proceedings will be kept confidential.
- All efforts will be made to ensure that the complainant and witnesses are not discriminated against or penalized by the respondent.
What SIT expects from you
- Behave appropriately.
- Speak up if you come across sexual harassment.
- Help Srinivas Institute of Technology provides a safe and respectful environment for all.
PRINCIPAL
