#MeToo Gets Government Backing, Investigative Committee and Anti-Sexual Harassment Framework To Be Instituted

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has come out with a framework for legal recourse against sexual harassment at workplaces.

The ministry’s statement says that the Government of India stands for a harassment free workplace and details several mechanisms through which woman can raise their voice against such behaviour.

Earlier in the day , Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, also announced the formation of a four-member committee to examine the #MeToo cases raised by women on social media.

Expressing solidarity with the women, Gandhi said that the committee will be comprised of retired judges for all the recent cases that have come up in the past few days through the #MeToo campaign.

Earlier, on 8 October, the minister had expressed happiness that women were coming out and had requested the Law Ministry not to keep any age limit to report child sexual abuse, allowing people to complain about what has happened to them even “10-15 years later”, noting that the anger at molestation and sexual abuse never goes away.

She elucidated that this committee will look into the legal and institutional framework that is in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment and advise the ministry on how to strengthen these, she said, as reported by India Today.

The #MeToo campaign has recently gained momentum in India, with several women coming out and opening up about the abuse they have faced at the hands of powerful men across film, media and comedic spaces.