PUNE: In a first of its kind in the country, the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) and SAF India Academy have developed an online certificate course on ‘Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplaces Law and Beyond’. 

The course will be launched in the city on August 14.

The MSWC is the first commission in the country to introduce a high quality online training programme.

As a strategy to build uniformity and scale, the online course aimed at enhancing the capacities of organisations/companies to prevent and respond to workplace sexual harassment. 

To ensure a safe and secure workplace for all-inclusive of women the ‘sexual harassment of women at workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013’ commonly known as the POSH Law came into existence.

“As per the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplaces (POSH) Act, it was mandatory for every organisation to sensitise employees and have an Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) which was also trained. However it was observed that this was not implemented in its true spirit,” said a member of the commission.

The training envisaged creating work environments that instil values of safety, trust and fairness so that sexual harassment was prevented.

“Through its online training methodology that uses cutting edge strategies, it endeavours to reach the doorstep of every stakeholder - the employer, the internal committee member, and the employee; so as to build the movement for making workplaces and subsequently the society free from sexual harassment,” read the brief.