Stragetic Silence at Workplace

Sexual harassment is a universal problem heartwarming all women in this world irrespective of the occupation that they are in, but authorized(legal) system is sleeping and so they fail in providing them protection. Sexual harassment in the work place has drawn a lot of controversy by the many different perceptions and definitions that have characterized it. It's not all, women living in those countries having developed legal system faces other problems like being fired out of work, ridiculed, societal pressure or promises of desired promotion, etc. that makes them left with no words. Sexual harassment is about male dominance over women and it is used to remind women that they are weaker than man. In a society where violence against women is posed just to show the patriarchal value in commission in society, these values of men pose the furthermost challenge in curbing sexual harassment. Studies have shown that 1 out of every 3 working women are touched by sexual harassment. India is a democratic country. All citizens have the fundamental right to live with dignity under article 21 of the constitution of India. But there is no law specifically dealing with sexual harassment. Laws are not able to provide justice to the victims. There are various cases brought before the supreme court of India but all cases were not thriving for success in laying down novel laws for sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such that submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance, or creates an unapproachable, hostile, or unpleasant work environment”. Sexual harassment does not inevitably have to cause economic suffering or threats/acts of sacking. The behavior of the harasser must be unwelcome. Sexual harassment continues to flourish across the social strata. The study highlights the political and socio-economic factors responsible for this pathetic state of affairs and other inadequacies in terms of the necessary legislation to curb this abhorrent behaviour