ROUND TABLE ON #MeToo Organized by SAAD AANGAN and INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, GOA, on 25th November, 2018,
at International Centre Goa. The Round Table on #MeToo organized by Saad Aangan in collaboration with International Centre Goa, on International Day to End Violence Against Women, had the participation of a diverse group of people speaking out their lived experiences from different locations – as survivors, hand holders, supporters, bystanders, members (internal and external) of Internal Complaints Committees, Local Complaints Committees, presenting officer in an inquiry, representatives of women’s, transgender, persons with disability, domestic workers, and civil society organisations, advocates, counselors, and lecturers and concerned citizens. It was recognized that while all women are vulnerable to sexual harassment, different women are differently placed in protecting themselves from it. Even as there were different opinions on #MeToo, it was acknowledged that #MeToo has catalyzed and provoked thinking on the limitations of due process as provided in the law, lack of transparency, accountability, and the lens from which experiences of sexual harassment are being viewed, and has crumbled the power of perpetuating sexual harassment taking advantage of the silence that has surrounded sexual harassment at the workplace. Participants noted the social and economic factors, including familial pressures, inhibiting women from lodging complaints or approaching the Complaints Committee after the lapse of substantial period of time, and that these reasons cannot be dismissed. There was consensus on the need for different boundaries in the context of different work locations - where the nature of work may blur some boundaries. It was felt that in each context, there have to be protocols in place. However the issues of boundaries and sense of male entitlement are itself something that need reflection, discussion, more conversations around. Participants specially articulated that the role of the State and the role of the employer cannot be forgotten and that the abdication by the State of its role in proactively disseminating information, enabling and ensuring access to local complaints committees and internal complaints committees, constitution of internal complaints committees, in conducting age appropriate sexuality education in educational institutions, is contempt-worthy. They remarked that ensuring rights of women were low priority with the State. The pushback, kind of trauma and victimization that survivors and supporters of survivors go through was vividly articulated, and gave a strong sense of the failure of the systems to understand and grapple with a range of issues from inappropriate interventions, to the ignorance or negligence or disregard or insensitivity of the internal complaints committees, where the woman is treated as a liar till proven innocent, to the non-constitution of committees, and lack of awareness creation and capacity building about the prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment at the workplace, and ambiguity about budget allocation for implementation and monitoring of the Act. The social determinants of vulnerability such as housing of domestic workers, the ageist and ableist gazes, the pressures on workers not to unionize, also came under scrutiny. Good practices of employers organizing meetings and being responsive to draw protocols to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace, and also application of the law to cases reported after three months with good reason, were also shared by participants. Potential of Legal Services Authorities creating awareness about the law, and also legal aid clubs, and creation of educational material and orientation modules to effectively sensitise were also discussed. A key observation was the ironical invisibility of the complainant, presenting officer, and even the internal complaints committee itself to the employer once the inquiry is completed and sometimes even while the inquiry is in progress, and the non-intimation to them about the status of the complaint. The hesitation by employers to organize any orientation programmes, or to organize them in a haphazard manner, was also highlighted by participants. The marshalling of provisions for women, such as confidentiality and conciliation, to support the Respondent, the intimidation of legal language, the heavy burden placed on complainants to produce evidence, the application of criminal case standards to inquiries in complaints of sexual harassment, were areas of concern expressed. It was felt that the challenge is to ensure procedures through which the rule of law prevails with due consideration to the special needs of survivors of sexual harassment and principles of natural justice. (Albertina Almeida) (Galileo Fernandes) for Saad Aangan for International Centre, Goa -- (M) 09326137682
