Sexual Harassment Legislation in India

Rick Patterson

Attorney

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India is attempting to put into place what will be their first legislation to stop the sexual harassment of certain working woman. The legislation would only include women working in the organized sector of India's work force, which includes factories, hotels, airlines, textile mills, parts of the farm sector and offices. However, out of the hundreds of millions of working women in India, only 1.5 million are considered part of this formal sector.

" The proposed law, which parliament will review when it resumes later this month, states "gestures of a sexual nature whether verbal, textual, physical, graphic or electronic" are "unwelcome conduct." Although, the law will only cover a select few, that sector is rife with sexual harassment. Men's groups are not exactly for this improvement, claiming that Indian women will exploit the legislation to further their careers. Clearly, there is much work to be done.