Pachauri case highlights plight of sexual harassment victims at work

The sexual harassment case against RK Pachauri highlights that even though the law is strong, few women have the courage to come forward.

The sexual harassment case against former Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chief and Director-General of The Energy Research Institute (TERI) Rajendra Pachauri has again brought into focus an unsettling fact: Despite the stringent Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013, the message that breaching boundaries of acceptable conduct is unacceptable and illegal is still to sink in for many.

While the TERI employee has boldly filed a case against Pachauri — not a mean feat considering the power structure at TERI is loaded against her — let’s not forget those who are forced to keep silent against such harassment despite the law.

In a moving piece in a national daily on Thursday, a sexual harassment victim wrote about reasons why women desist from taking action against perpetrators. A key issue is that many lack sound knowledge of the law and procedures for filing a complaint. Second, there is the fear of ridicule and lack of support in the office, and most importantly, a hostile home environment where she is often denied emotional support and solidarity. The author correctly diagnoses the problem: No law will work unless and until we “address other socio-legal cultural underpinnings that cause women to keep quiet”.