Hassan: With 78,000 complaints filed with the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in govt and private offices across the state, Karnataka is ranked second in the nation, said Nagalakshmi Choudhary, chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women. She added that this shows women are aware of their rights at the workplace.These complaints have been filed since the committees were established till date.She toured Hassan district and interacted with officials and the public, and emphasised the necessity of having internal complaints committees in both govt and private offices. “However, there is a need for more awareness about them. Meetings should be held every three months in the presence of the DC, and inquiries must be conducted in their presence,” she said.Every office should have complaint boxes. In the district, 315 internal complaints committees have been established, with 69 more to be formed. In cases of sexual harassment in workplace, these committees must act proactively. “I visited various colleges and hostels in the district. I also visited the Arakalagud Taluk Hospital and Hassan District Hospital, bringing up the issues observed to the attention of district-level officials. In some hospitals, urgent work needs to be done, and we will submit a report to the commission within 15 days,” she stated.In Arakalagud taluk, there are no govt engineering or polytechnic colleges, especially for girls, which forces students to travel to Hassan district. Hence, there is a request to open colleges to facilitate education for underprivileged children, she said. She suggested visits to schools and colleges should include awareness programmes like ‘Open House’. “Women working in unorganised sectors like garments and markets should be informed about where to go if they face harassment. If their workplace lacks an internal complaints committee, they should be informed that such a committee exists at the DC’s office,” she said.Women’s gram sabhas should be held every three months in all village panchayats. The chairperson has asked for reports in this regard as well. Every village panchayat should have a vigilance committee, and I have requested their reports too, she noted.A case was registered regarding a sexual harassment incident at the district’s HIMS hospital. Relevant authorities have been instructed to take action, she mentioned.
