Even though the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was enacted over a decade ago, effectively implementing it has remained a challenge for the Indian government. The gap in implementation has left many aggrieved women from both the organized and unorganized sectors struggling to find justice, often running from pillar to post. To address this challenge the Ministry of Women and Child Development had introduced an online complaint management system known as the “She-Box” in July 2017.

What is SHe-Box

The Sexual Harassment Electronic Box (SHe-Box) is a single window access to every woman irrespective of their work status, whether organised or unorganised, public or private organisation register a complaint of workplace sexual harassment through this portal. Under the portal, if a formal complaint has been filed, then based on the assessment of the complaint, the complaint will be directed to the concerned employers’ Internal Committee (IC) or to the said Local Committee (LC), as the case maybe.  Furthermore, the portal proposes to actively monitor the progress of inquiry conducted by the IC or LC and keep the complainant updated regarding the status of the inquiry. This appreciable initiative by the Ministry for Women and Child Development (WCD), promises to maintain confidentiality of the aggrieved woman or the complainant.

New SHe-Box portal and its features

On 29^th August 2024, the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the leadership of Union Minister Annapurna Devi launched the new She-Box portal. She stated at the launch that “this initiative represents the government’s commitment towards the effective implementation of the POSH Law and to create a safer and more inclusive environment for women across India.” Some of the notable features of this portal are as follows:

1. It is a common platform to register complaints of sexual harassment, track the status and ensure a time-bound processing of complaints.
2. It will serve as a centralised repository of information related to ICs and LCs formed across the country
3. Through a designated nodal officer, it will enable real-time monitoring of complaints.
4. Complaints can be safely registered without personal information being publicly accessible.

The Complaint Mechanism

The following steps shall be followed by every complainant who wishes to register a complaint of workplace sexual harassment:

1. In the address bar at the top of your browser, type in the following URL: [https://shebox.wcd.gov.in/]
2. Then on the SHe-Box portal locate and click on “Register Your Complaint”.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to fill out the information required for registering a complaint.
4. Review the information entered, ensure all the mandatory fields are filled and then proceed to “Submit” your complaint.

The drop box menu in the user manual provides for “Nature of Engagement” if the complainant’s work status is working with the following options:

1. regular employee,
2. temporary/contractual/ad hoc/daily wager,
3. hired directly through agent/contractor,
4. on remuneration/voluntary basis,
5. student in any educational institution/academy or organisation,
6. probationer/trainee/intern,
7. visitor to office,
8. domestic worker.

However, it may be noted that, to register a complaint, the complainant must have a registered mobile number and email address. And in an event where the complainant is unable to file a complaint, then any other person may report on behalf of the complainant. However, it is mandatory to specify the same in this form.

Note: The information provided above is subject to revision as government updates become available. This page will be updated periodically to reflect changes. Check back regularly for the latest information or visit the official government website (SHe-Box | MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT | GOI (wcd.gov.in)

Repository of Resources

The SHe-Box portal contains a resource section which is titled as the “Laws and Regulations”. This section contains detailed information regarding the POSH Law. It contains the legislation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 along with Rules framed thereunder both in Hindi and English languages respectively.

Though this repository is still not in operation and is being updated by the government, it has many remarkable segments that are curated to raise awareness and foster education on the POSH Law. For instance, the repository features a handbook which contains detailed information about the POSH Law and provides a training module to build capacity of government officials around the provisions of the POSH Law. This module could be customised by the private organisations as per their existing service rules. Further, for government officials the repository contains all the advisories/OM/guideline issues by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), with free access to view and download the documents.

Conclusion:

Annapurna Devi said at the launch of the upgraded version of SHe-Box that “Additionally, we will make every effort, in collaboration with the state governments, to spread awareness about it among as many people as possible. We also want private institutions to register and get onboard so that the women working there can work fearlessly,”

While the concept of an upgraded She-box is commendable, its success hinges on the quality of its execution. Effective outreach to diverse workplaces and women across the country is crucial.

Improvements needed for effective implementation:

1. Access to aggrieved women from private organisations – Unfortunately, at present the upgraded version of SHe-box does not even have an option for aggrieved women from private organisations to file a complaint, whereas the previous SHe-box did have that option. One can only hope that the option for private organisations is underway and will be rolled out soon.
2. Access to aggrieved women from unorganised sectors across India – Apart from this, since the portal aims to act as a redressal portal for the unorganised sector, it is important that it provide a list of LCs on the website to find the support they need more easily. Also, copy of POSH Act and Rules in more regional languages is crucial so that everyone understands their rights and complaint process.
3. Access to providing feedback – The portal must integrate a mechanism to receive feedback from aggrieved women on how effectively their complaint was processed so that continuous improvements can be made to the portal.

Overall, there’s still much to be done for the portal to achieve its full effectiveness and success. We’ll have to wait and see what the government has in store for the upcoming months regarding its development.

Written by Adv. Vasantha Kotagiri & Prerna Saraf