PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND PUNISHMENT OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN

The Supreme Court of India in its 1977 judgment in Vishakha &others vs. State of Rajasthan & others makes it obligatory for every employer and other responsible persons to follow the guidelines laid down by the Court and to evolve a specific policy to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Educational institutions are bound by the same directive.

1. POLICY
The right of women to protection from sexual harassment and the right to work with dignity are recognised as universal

human rights by international instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which has been ratified by India.

The Supreme Court in the Vishakha judgment has held that each incident of sexual harassment results in the violation of the fundamental rights of Gender Equality and the Right to Life and Liberty. Sexual harassment is a clear violation of a woman’s right to gender equality as guaranteed under Articles 14 and 15, her right to live with dignity under Article 21 and her right to work with dignity in a safe environment under Article 19(1) (g) of the Constitution of India.

2.Definition of Sexual Harassment:
For purposes of this Policy the following shall constitute sexual harassment of women:

1.When submission to unwelcome sexually determined behaviour such as sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, are explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of teaching/guidance, education, employment, participation or evaluation of a woman’s engagement in activity.

2. When unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, including but not limited to, sexual advances, physical and /or verbal or non-verbal or conduct, such as loaded comments, remarks or jokes, letters, phone calls, sms or emails,

gestures, exhibition of pornography, lurid stares, physical contact, stalking, sounds or display of a derogatory nature

have the purpose and /or effect of interfering with a woman’s work or academic performance or of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive employment, educational or living environment.

3. When a man uses with a sexual purpose, the body or any part of it or any object as an extension of the body in relation to a woman without her consent or against her will, such conduct will amount to sexual assault.

Explanation (a): It is clarified that it is the reasonable perception of the woman that would be relevant in determining whether any conduct was sexually determined and, if so, whether such conduct was unwelcome or not and that her objection would disadvantage her in connection with her education or employment, including evaluation, grading, recruitment or promotion, or when it creates a hostile working, educational or living environment.

(b) “Hostile Environment” is said to be created when any act of Sexual Harassment has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individuals work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive employment, educational or living environment. Non teaching staff, administrative staff, technical staff, support staff, students, consultants, visitors, service providers, holding permanent, temporary, honorary, ad hoc, voluntary or short term positions.
Anyone violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.Rules and Procedures for the Prevention, Prohibition and Punishment of Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace, 2008.
Sexual Harassment will amount to misconduct in employment under the relevant Conduct and Service Rules and Regulations. The said Rules/Regulations shall stand amended accordingly.

3. OBJECTIVES OF THE POLICY
• To fulfil the directive of the Supreme Court of India enjoining all employers to develop and implement a policy against sexual harassment of women at the work place.
• To uphold Womens Right to Protection against Sexual Harassment and the Right to Livelihood and towards that end for the prevention and redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women
• To evolve a permanent mechanism for the prevention, prohibition and redress of sexual harassment of women within the jurisdiction of IGNOU.
• To actively promote a social, physical and psychological environment that will raise awareness about and deter acts of sexual harassment of women.
• To ensure the implementation of the policy in letter and spirit by undertaking all necessary and reasonable steps including the constitution of appropriate Committees for purposes of gender sensitization and to conduct enquiries into complaints of sexual harassment.

• To generate public opinion against sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

ABHINAV CELEBRATES DAUGHTERS DAY

DAUGHTERS DAY IS CELEBRATED BY ABHINAVs AT SUBHASH NAGAR MANDIR,AMBALA CANTT. GIFTS WERE DISTRIBUTED AND CAKE CEREMONY WAS OBSERVED. GIRLS AND THIER MOTHERS,GRANDMOTHERS WERE AMONGST PRESENT IN THE OCCASION.

FREE MEDICAL CAMP AT MOKHA MAJRA , AMBALA CITY

ABHINAV CONDUCTED A FREE MEDICAL CAMP AT VILLAGE MOKHA MAJRA (AMBALA).MORE THAN 200 LADIES & CHILDREN WERE EXAMINED AND GIVEN FREE MEDICINES.SARPANCH MR.MOHAN LAL MADE GOOD ARRANGEMENTS IN GURUDWARA COMPLEX FOR THE CAMP. DR.SEEMA GUPTA,GYNAECOLOGIST CONTRIBUTED WITH HER VALUABLE TIME FROM HER BUSY OPD. DR.VIKAS BHATHEJA,PRESIDENT GAVE HEALTH TIPS TO VILLAGERS.ARCHNA SODHI,VICE PRESIDENT,MUNISH MANGLA,GENERAL SECRETARY,RANJANA,SUNITA SAINI,MEENA,KARAMJEET WERE ALSO PRESENT ON THE OCCASION.

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Poverty reduction (or poverty alleviation) is any process which seeks to reduce the level of poverty in a community, or amongst a group of people or countries. Poverty reduction programs may be aimed at economic or non-economic poverty. Some of the popular methods used are education, economic development, and income redistribution. Poverty reduction efforts may also be aimed at removing social and legal barriers to income growth among the poor.
Economists such as Hernando de Soto see improvement in property rights as being instrumental in poverty reduction. Other economists also highlight government corruption as a chief problem in reducing poverty in the developing world.

FEMALE INFANTICIDE, FOETICIDE,SON PREFERENCE IN INDIA.

In India, there are less than 93 women for every 100 men in the population. The accepted reason for such a disparity is the practice of female infanticide in India, prompted by the existence of a dowry system which requires the family to pay out a great deal of money when a female child is married. For a poor family, the birth of a girl child can signal the beginning of financial ruin and extreme hardship.
However this anti-female bias is by no means limited to poor families. Much of the discrimination is to do with cultural beliefs and social norms. These norms themselves must be challenged if this practice is to stop.

EFFECTS OF ILLITERACY ON SOCIETY

Recent studies show that there is an increasing rate of illiteracy all over the world.A study conducted by WSI(World Statistics Institute) shows that over 27% of people are illiterate globaly. Another study by the same institute shows that the speed at which illiteracy rate ascends is 32%. These rates are quite important, as illiteracy has terrible effects on society.
The most important effect of illiteracy on society is that, it works as an inhibitor. That is to say, the more illiterate people there are in a country, the harder it will be for the country to develop. This fact could be clarified with an example: America(whose illiteracy rate is below 5%) and Canada(Illiteracy rate: around 8%) are developed countries, whereas countries, like Turkey and Iran(Illiteracy rates: 61% and 43% in order) are undeveloped countries.
Illiteracy has got a kind of "genetic" effect. The children of illiterate people are more likely to be illiterate that those who aren't. Even if the parents don't want their children to be illiterate, their children, observing the parents, see that they somehow manage to live and adopt the idea that illiteracy isn't actually a bad thing. And since people develop most of their character during childhood, they choose to go with illiteracy.
Another major effect of illiteracy is that, illiterate people believe in the said things easily. They do not investigate what was said or told to them. When looked at the pages of history, it can be seen that, while most uneducated people are slaves, guardians and assistants; people who are educated are mostly kings, quenns and sultans. They are not slaves because they wanted, but because people superior to them -in terms of education- made them so.
All these significant results of illiteracy affect society in a bad way. So, illiteracy rates must be tried to cut down.