Sexual Harassment at Workplace: Violation of Human Rights

In 1997, the Supreme Court of India, for the first time, recognized sexual harassment at the workplace as a violation of human rights. The landmark Vishaka judgement outlined a set of guidelines for the prevention and redress of complaints by women of sexual harassment in the workplace. The small amount of available evidence suggests that sexual harassment in the workplace continues to be a common occurrence, typically perpetrated by a person in a position of authority; the majority of women do not take action or lodge an official complaint for fear of being dismissed, losing their reputation or facing hostility or social stigma in the workplace. The objective of this paper is to explore the context of sexual harassment of women in India as well as their working place.