the goan I network
Panaji
The Goa State Commission for Women’s (GSCW) plan to get religious institutions in the State to form Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) with both female and male members has hit a roadblock. Chairperson of the Commission Adv Shubhlaxmi Naik says that the same may not be possible in the near future, as the law is not favourable towards it.
The GSCW had said in mid-August that it would write to all religious institutions in the State and make it “mandatory” for them to have ICCs before September 30. ICCs are the first committee where victims of sexual harassment at the workplace can lodge complaints. However, though clear at the time that the Act of Sexual Harassment of Women at the workplace allowed for religious bodies too to form ICCs because they were “workplaces” for many religious leaders, the GSCW has now said the law would need to be amended for the same to be done.
“The law does not have a provision for women to be included in the ICCs, and the Mamlatdar has said that we cannot go ahead till the law is amended,” Adv Naik told ‘The Goan.’ She said that this could take a while as the GSCW would first have to make a representation to the government suggesting that the law be amended. Then, the government has to present it at the Assembly and get it passed.
Due to the length of time that this process might take, Adv Naik said she has tried a different route, and has written to the Archbishop of Goa in the regard to churches forming ICCs. “I have tried writing to the Archbishop,” she said, but said she hadn’t yet received a reply.
The directions of the GSCW to religious institutions to form the ICCs came after two girls alleged sexual harassment by a priest of Ponda’s Mangueshi Temple in July 2018. The girls found it difficult to complain as the temple did not have an ICC. ICCs are mandated by law for workplaces under the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. Religious places as of now don’t have ICCs as they are not considered “workplaces”, but Adv Naik maintains that they are “workplaces” for the priests that work there.
