SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN AT WORKPLACE IN INDIA: A LEGAL STUDY OF LAWMAKING AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE

Abstract

Sexual harassment is one of the main causes for concern in the modern society. Sexual harassment of women has emerged as the most common criminal offence. The majority of crimes involve workingwomen. Sexual harassment of women in the workplace is a horrific crime that is committed by women themselves. It is a crime that compromises women's security in a variety of settings, including the workplace. The Indian Constitution's Articles 14 and 15, which provides women's equality, as well as Article 21's guarantee of life and a decent existence, are all violated by sexual harassment. The genesis of sexual harassment has been derived from the Bhanwari Devi case and an analysis of the 1997 verdict in Vishaka and Ors. v. Union of India, which illustrates the factors that frequently contribute to a rise in sexual harassment cases over time. A woman's emotional and mental development, is also negatively impacted by sexual harassment, in addition to her outward looks. The Justice Verma Committee made a recommendation that became the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013. The Act seeks to safeguard of women in the workplace, which encompasses any institution, hospital, private sector Organization, or location that an employee visits while on the job. The definition of sexual harassment is given at the outset of the article, along with a thorough background and an attempt to emphasize the numerous circumstances that, from various historical viewpoints, tend to spontaneously increase the number of sexual harassment instances.