If a woman was in a relationship with a man but isn’t anymore, she can file a complaint against him if he has harassed her sexually at her workplace. Also, a woman teacher/professor can file a case of sexual harassment against a student.

Filing a Complaint against Sexual Harassment

Last updated on Jun 22, 2022

The law has provided a detailed mechanism for filing complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace. If you have been sexually harassed at the workplace, follow the steps given below to file a complaint for sexual harassment against your harasser.

 

In Writing(( Section 7(1), Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules, 2013; Section 9, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.))

  1. Draft a complaint
  2. Make six copies of the complaint
  3. Submit any supporting documents with the complaint
  4. Submit the names and addresses of any witnesses who are supporting your complaint
  5. Submit your complaint to the Internal Committee* within three months(( Section 9(1), Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.)) of the sexual harassment.

 

If you cannot write the complaint on your own, the Committee can help you. A complaint can be filed by someone else on your behalf, such as:3(( Section 6, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules, 2013.))

  1. Your relative or friend
  2. Your co-worker
  3. An officer of the National Commission for Women or State Women’s Commission
  4. Any person who has knowledge of the incident, with the written consent of the victim

If you do not want to file a formal complaint they can try to work out the situation with the other person. This is called “conciliation”(( Section 10, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.))

 

*If your workplace does not have an Internal Committee, you can go to the Local Committee that is closest to you(( Section 6(1), Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.)).

Online

You can also complain on the website of the Ministry of Women and Child Development through the SHe-Box.

SheBox

 

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Comments

Lalitha

July 10, 2023

I was chat with in snap chat with one guy the guy the took screen short and black mail me I post on social media and he said I written the girl is a prositiute and call me the said I don’t know what do to

Alka Manral

August 20, 2024

1. Firstly, immediately try to document all the evidence you have of the man blackmailing you including his texts through which he is sending you these threats in order to ensure that this proof doesn’t disappear.
2. If he is merely threatening you and hasn’t actually acted upon it yet then you can file a case under S.503 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal intimidation as he is threatening injury to your reputation to cause alarm.
3. If he is using the threat to obtain money, property, or a valuable security from you, then you can also file a case under S.383 of the IPC for extortion.
4. In case he has already published the screenshots, you can file a case under S.499 of the IPC for defamation as he is intentionally causing harm to your reputation. Under this section he will be liable to a fine, or imprisonment up to 2 years, or both
5. You can also file a suit under tort law for civil defamation and obtain compensation from the court for the damage caused to your reputation through the defamatory acts of the man. 6. You can also lodge a complaint online on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (https://cybercrime.gov.in/), or through the Women Safety App or the Citizen Portal App.

Pragati Singh

December 23, 2023

Sir somebody is harrasing me by my friend nudel pictures . I request you to plssss review this

Alka Manral

April 18, 2024

You can lodge your complaint online with the National Commission for Women by:
1. You need to fill up this complaint form with details of complainant or victim such as name, address, contact numbers, date of birth and respondent details etc.
2. You need to write your complaint in the given space to submit it online.
3. https://ncwapps.nic.in/onlinecomplaintsv2/
If you are facing online Sexual Harassment, then there are several measures you can take on: Firstly, you can visit your local police station and inform them about the abuse you have faced online by filing an FIR, make sure that this FIR is detailed and all information along with screen shots of the online conversation has been provided to the police. Apart from that you can also visit your state’s Cyber Cell or ask the police station whether they can forward the FIR to the Cyber Cell directly (often some police stations themselves have the facility of Cyber Cell). A complaint can also be directly filed to the Cyber Cell of your state through their respective online portal, for instance the link for the Delhi Cyber Cell portal is : https://cyber.delhipolice.gov.in/.
Secondly, the Home Affairs Ministry’s Online Crime Reporting Portal is another way for you to file a complaint. You can be sent to the website of a particular State Government in order to file a complaint. Click “Report a Cyber Crime” after filing a complaint under the “Services for Citizen” section. Here, you may provide any supporting documentation, including screenshots, along with details about the victim, the offender, and the occurrence. In addition to tracking your complaint, you have the option to submit anonymously or with identity. The link for the portal is as follows: https://digitalpolice.gov.in/.
Lastly, Alternatively, you can use the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to immediately register a report. Anonymous complaints are also welcome. By using the options “Report Cyber Crime Related to Women/Child” or “Report Other Cyber Crime,” you can file a complaint against a variety of cybercrimes. To monitor your complaint, you must log in, establish an account, and choose “Report and Track.”. The link to the portal is as follows: https://cybercrime.gov.in/.
Moreover, it is for your information that the crime of Online Sexual Harassment is punishable under Section 354A of IPC which addresses the offense of sharing pornographic or sexually explicit material without a woman’s consent, which is considered sexual harassment through social media. This offense is punishable under the IPC, and the offender may face imprisonment for up to 3 years, a fine, or both. Section 67A of the IT Act makes it a criminal offense to publish or transmit sexually explicit material online. The punishment for this crime includes imprisonment of up to 5 years and a fine that may extend to ten lakh rupees

Sikha

November 8, 2024

You can lodge your complaint online with the National Commission for Women by:
1. You need to fill up this complaint form with details of complainant or victim such as name, address, contact numbers, date of birth and respondent details etc.
2. You need to write your complaint in the given space to submit it online.
3. https://ncwapps.nic.in/onlinecomplaintsv2/
If you are facing online Sexual Harassment, then there are several measures you can take on: Firstly, you can visit your local police station and inform them about the abuse you have faced online by filing an FIR, make sure that this FIR is detailed and all information along with screen shots of the online conversation has been provided to the police. Apart from that you can also visit your state’s Cyber Cell or ask the police station whether they can forward the FIR to the Cyber Cell directly (often some police stations themselves have the facility of Cyber Cell). A complaint can also be directly filed to the Cyber Cell of your state through their respective online portal, for instance the link for the Delhi Cyber Cell portal is : https://cyber.delhipolice.gov.in/.
Secondly, the Home Affairs Ministry’s Online Crime Reporting Portal is another way for you to file a complaint. You can be sent to the website of a particular State Government in order to file a complaint. Click “Report a Cyber Crime” after filing a complaint under the “Services for Citizen” section. Here, you may provide any supporting documentation, including screenshots, along with details about the victim, the offender, and the occurrence. In addition to tracking your complaint, you have the option to submit anonymously or with identity. The link for the portal is as follows: https://digitalpolice.gov.in/.
Lastly, Alternatively, you can use the Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to immediately register a report. Anonymous complaints are also welcome. By using the options “Report Cyber Crime Related to Women/Child” or “Report Other Cyber Crime,” you can file a complaint against a variety of cybercrimes. To monitor your complaint, you must log in, establish an account, and choose “Report and Track.”. The link to the portal is as follows: https://cybercrime.gov.in/.
Moreover, it is for your information that the crime of Online Sexual Harassment is punishable under Section 354A of IPC which addresses the offense of sharing pornographic or sexually explicit material without a woman’s consent, which is considered sexual harassment through social media. This offense is punishable under the IPC, and the offender may face imprisonment for up to 3 years, a fine, or both. Section 67A of the IT Act makes it a criminal offense to publish or transmit sexually explicit material online. The punishment for this crime includes imprisonment of up to 5 years and a fine that may extend to ten lakh rupees

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