#MeToo India: About 78% Sexual Harassment Cases Go Unreported

The last two weeks have been dedicated to the #MeToo movement. While the wave is going strong across social media, there are still certain hard facts we have to face. According to a nationwide online survey, conducted by LocalCircles, about 78 per cent sexual harassment cases at the workplace go unreported in India. Let's take a look at the major findings of the survey:

About the survey:

• More than 28,000 votes were polled on these questions from over 15,000 unique citizens.
• Females respondents, in the survey, made up to 6,100 (40 per cent). The rest were males.
• The participants from Tier-1 cities were 40 per cent. Tier-2 cities amounted  28 per cent and Tier-3 cities and rural areas made up to 32 per cent of participants.

So here is the pulse on sexual harrasment at work places in India. 32% say they or their family members have experienced it. Strong need for collective action! @FollowCII @ficci_india @DigitalAssocham @nasscom #MeToo #MeTooIndia #TimesUp #LocalCircles

https://t.co/cDIQWr5CVm pic.twitter.com/nnc7iwUfxF

— Sachin Taparia (@sachintaparia) October 16, 2018

Findings

The survey found that a majority of women never report sexual harassment that they face at their workplace due to various reasons.

Around 32 per cent respondents said they, or one of their family members, have either experienced or observed sexual harassment at their respective workplaces.

• Around 50 per cent respondents shared they faced sexual harassment at the workplace during regular office hours.
• About 78 per cent respondents said that they never reported or observed others reporting these cases to the HR department.
• Physical contact and advances most common forms of workplace sexual harassment.

The survey states that the major problem lies in the fact that most people aren't aware of what all can be reported under inappropriate behaviour.

The 2013 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act lays down rules that organisations with more than ten employees must have an independent committee to investigate cases. However, the survey says, many organisations are not following the law. These committees designed to cater to these cases do not act strongly upon them.

LocalCircles, before conducting the polls, defined and explained sexual harassment to all participants enabling them to answer appropriately.

The last two weeks saw several women calling out men for alleged sexual misconduct. Most of these men are senior journalists, actors, stand-up comics, directors and so on.

Also Read: All We Need To Know About Harassment Laws At Workplace

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