Sexual harassment: Legislation yet to be implemented in tea gardens, reveals survey

 Although around 51 per cent of employees in this sector are women, they don’t know about the law

TT   |   Siliguri   |   24.03.23  : A survey in 24 tea gardens of the Terai and the Dooars has revealed that legislation enacted 10 years ago to redress incidents of sexual harassment of women at workplaces has not yet been implemented in tea gardens.

Although around 51 per cent of employees in this sector are women, they don’t know about the law, the survey also revealed.

This is for the first time that such a survey on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prohibition, Prevention and Redressal) Act, 2013, was done in the brew belt of this region.

Sanhita, a Calcutta-based NGO, did the survey and conducted a meeting with trade unions in collaboration with Nagarik Mancha to share the findings.

“We did the survey among women workers in these tea gardens from May to September last year. It was surprising that the Act passed to redress exploitation in the workplace has not been introduced in any garden. Female workers that we spoke to are not even aware that such a law exists,” said Sirsha Gupta, the programme officer of Sanhita.

No initiative has been taken by tea companies — the employers of these women — to implement the Act in their respective gardens, Gupta said. It is mandatory to have a four-member committee (referred to as an internal committee in the Act) at workplaces.

According to Section 4 (C) and Rule 4 of the Act, 2013, the committee will have an external member from NGO/association "committed to the cause of women or a person familiar with the issue of sexual harassment".

"This person may have at least five years of experience as a social worker; working towards women’s empowerment and in particular addressing workplace sexual harassment or be familiar with the labour, service or criminal law," said Gupta.

She said they spoke to women tea workers, state labour department officials, tea planters’ associations and trade union representatives.

“It is alarming that the Act has not been implemented in an industry where women form the majority of the workforce,” Gupta said.

Representatives of the planters' fraternity said they would look into the matter.