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UGC urges Odisha Universities to set up Internal Complaint Cells to encourage women to stand up against gender-based violence in the university campus. Students welcome this step.
All the Odisha based universities are asked to set up Special Cells by University Grants Commission (UGC). The cells will deal with gender-based violence in the institutes. The cells will be conducting gender sensitisation programmes as well.
To tackle the issues of women faculties and students, an Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) has also been proposed. For the universities which already have ICCs as per the UGC 2015 rule of ‘prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions,’ those universities will only assure smooth functioning of ICC under UGC.
Recently, Mr Rajnish Jain, the secretary of UGC sent a letter to all the vice-chancellors of the Odisha State Universities on this note. He mentioned in the letter that sexual harassment in the workplace towards women shall be prevented as much as possible as per the currently existent laws and regulations.
The letter has urged the universities to provide women with a safe and secure environment on the campus by facilitating and addressing the complaints regarding gender-based violence, grievances and sexual harassments through ICC. The University Grants council has shed light on the fact that providing an equal and gender-biased free environment to women boosts academics and research capabilities of the institute with a positive effect. The council has directed the universities to promote the toll-free number 1800111656 for addressing grievances and raising complaints.
Utkal University’s Vice-Chancellor Mr Soumendra Mohan Patnaik has informed that the university has already set up an ICC for addressing the sexual-harassment related grievances. He said that the special cell will not only do grievance readdressing but also conduct gender sensitisation programs for creating awareness.
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Ms Padmaja Mishra, VC of Rama Devi Women’s University informed that they have already set up an ICC for addressing issues of sexual harassment but no such reports have come yet. Setting up a special cell is also underway which will raise awareness about the issue.
A first-year PG student of Rama Devi Women’s University appreciated the process for assuring women’s safety in the campus. She said that if these initiatives are taken, harassers in the university will think twice before doing such misconduct.
