SAFETY IN TIMES OF #MeToo
#MeToo and #MeTooIndia are the best things that are
happening to Indian society right now. Sexual harassment is a nasty practice
and deserves to stop. Revelation of identities of predators, howsoever late
after the incident, is after all only revelation of truth. Truth is always
liberating. It deserves to be embraced. Workplaces must be safe for the female
workforce for achieving productivity.
However if the movement has to serve its purpose, frivolous
complaints must be avoided at all costs, as otherwise the movement is bound to
lose its steam and relevance. There should be differentiation between say a
gaze, a bad touch and stalking. All must be addressed promptly but all these cannot
be treated with same severity.
Men, especially men in positions of power are particularly
at risk. They have to deal with women in the course of their official duties
and many a time may have to refuse many requests for favors or lenience. These refusals
to grant favors must not lead to vindictive complaints against them. For this
purpose, men in positions of power have to be extra careful. It is suggested
that the following guidelines should be followed.
·
Never agree to meet a woman outside your office
or outside your office hours.
·
A woman who desires to meet you in your office
must properly identify herself with accepted identity proofs and record her
contact details with proper verification.
·
Wherever possible, insist that she must be
accompanied by an escort.
·
A camera must watch and record her movements
from the time she enters your office till the time she goes out.
·
Talk to her across a screen which has a ticket
window in it. The window must be meshed. There should be a slot for passing
documents for verification and return.
·
The entire conversation should be video recorded
and the video file should be tagged with her identity proof and contact details
and the file should be saved locally on your devices and also on the cloud.
·
If the woman in question appears to be a
suspicious character or provocative, report to police and security as a
precaution.
·
If you have been threatened during the
interaction by her, lodge a police complaint against her without fail
Hopefully this will avoid unnecessary embarrassment with
false complaints.
