The Do's and Don'ts of Sexual Harassment complaints Committees

Sexual Harassment Complaints Committees should

• Be headed by a women
• Have at least 50% women members
• Have at least one outside member who is familiar with the issue

Once the Committee is instituted

• Meet with representatives of management and workers to determine scop,e powers and responsibilities of the committee.

• Get experts in the field and evolve an organizational policy on sexual harassment. This could  then lead to a gender policy. Remember gender does not mean women alone.

• Set aside a separate budget for the activities of the committee. Remember, awareness raising  can be expensive. This budget could be used for lectures by experts on sexual harassment, workshops for thecommittee and staff, posters, etc. This too is mandated by law.

• Set up procedures and protocols for proceedings, i.e., quorum for meetings, documentation and reporting, and accessibility and storage of documents, keeping in mind need for confidentiality.

• Ensure that the outsider member is an integral to the quorum. No quorum shall be complete without the presence of such member. One outside member is the minimum requirement. There can be more. This will ensure quorum even at short notice.

• Ensure that all complaints are received in writing. This will facilitate maintenance of  recorder . In addition, this will also minimize the possibility of misinterpretation and misrepresentation. If the complainant is illiterate, the complaints could be written with the help of a friend or support group.

• Meet within 7 days of receiving thecomplaint. This will help to expedite the matter as well as reassure the complainant.

• Meet once a month regardless of whether or not there is a complaint. This will happen more easily, if committee members are familiar with each other and can work synergistically.
• Set up:                                                                                                                                   - a realistic time frame for redressal. Make this time frame widely known and adhere to it,         even if it is inconvenient.                                                                                                          - mechanisms for appeal. This appeal should lie within the organization. The committee couldbe asked to review the decision by the management or the complainant. The management could be part of the review. The committee could also co-opt more members for review.

• Institutionalise procedures for enquiry. Design procedures so as not to increase trauma and/ or vulnerability of complainant.

• Display a list of organizations familiar with the issue, which the complainant can approach for support.

• Give a copy of the enquiry  proceedings to the complainant too, whether it is demanded by the complainant or not.

• Make sure that the decision taken by the committee is backed by at least 50 per cent of  the members, including the outside member.  Without such consensus, no decision taken by the committee should be considered valid.

• It the complaint received is against a committee member, that member will have to step down from the committee and punitive action taken against such member, if found guilty, should be more severe.

• Display in many and different places names and addresses of members.

• Use eye-catching posters to publicise guidelines. Place posters in lifts, toilets, lunch room, etc.

• Hold awareness workshops and informal discussions on sexual harassment.

• Committees must present a yearly report on the steps they have taken to deal with and prevent sexual harassment in the organization. This can be included in the annual report of the organization.

• Formalize and publicize complaints procedures that are easy and non-threatening.
• Provide safety for friends and supporters of complainant.
• Appoint complaints officers-- one man and one woman -- to serve as first point of contact.
• Complaints officers should be members of the committee. One of them should be the outside expert.
• Authorize complaints officers to resolve the issue without the committee's intervention. If unresolved to the complainant's satisfaction, the complaint should go to the committee.
• Use a cheerful, comfortable, airy room for meeting the complainant.
• Ensure that your body language communicates complete attention to the complainant and accused.
• Treat the complainant with respect.
• Discard pre-determined notions of how a victim or accused should look or behave. Beware of stereotypes.
• Sexual harassment can be by a person of the opposite sex and .or the same sex. This is an important
• point that the committee would do well to remember at all times.
• All sexual crimes are committed in private, so there may not be eye-witnesses.
• Consult the complainant for punitive action.
• If the management does not accept the recommended action, it should give three valid reasons.
• Help the complainant regain her/ is self-respect and dignity.

Don'ts

• Do not under any circumstances get aggressive.
• Do not insist on detailed description of harassment. This could increase the complainant's trauma.