Break the Silence on Harassment: Legal Expert Tells Students at Bhaderwah College POSH Awareness Drive
Amir Iqbal Khan
Bhadarwah, Aug 22: Institutional safety begins with breaking the silence on workplace misconduct and enforcing zero tolerance against gender based harassment, legal expert Adv Pooja Parihar said here on Saturday.
Addressing an awareness seminar on the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, 2013, at the Government Post Graduate College, Bhaderwah, Parihar urged victims and witnesses to shed hesitation and actively utilise institutional redressal mechanisms.
The programme was organised by the college’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) at the institution's Multipurpose Hall drawing over 250 students, faculty members and non-teaching staff.
"Creating a safe, respectful and inclusive working and learning environment is not merely a statutory obligation under the POSH Act but a collective social responsibility," Parihar, an Assistant Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) at the District Court Complex Bhaderwah, said.
Drawing on practical case studies, she elaborated on the nuanced definitions of workplace harassment, the profound psychological toll it inflicts on victims and the legal remedies available under the law.
"Fear and hesitation often allow harassment to go unchecked. Awareness of one's legal rights and trust in established institutional inquiry procedures are essential to dismantling this culture of silence," Parihar said calling for continuous gender sensitisation across educational campuses.
The session was presided over by Principal Prof Basharat Iqbal and co-chaired by Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) coordinator Dr Ajaz A Wani.
Commending the initiative, Prof Iqbal highlighted the administration's commitment to maintaining a dignified and secure atmosphere for all students and staff members.
The event was spearheaded by Dr Neelam Saba- a Senior Assistant Professor of Zoology and Convenor of the ICC/CASH Committee alongside Co-Convenor Dr Renuka Goria and committee members Dr Deepika Devi, Dr Vishal Bharti, Dr Shah Imtiaz, Dr Swaita Devi and Adv Isha Hiteshi.
The programme concluded with the formal felicitation of the keynote speaker by the college Principal and Committee Members.
