Over 400 Sexual Harassment Cases At Work Recorded In India From 2018 To 2022: Report

File Photo

New Delhi: Workplace sexual harassment remains a persistent issue in India with more than 400 cases reported annually from 2018 to 2022, as reported by Business Standard, based on data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Despite growing awareness and efforts to address this serious problem the average number of cases per year during this period stood at 445. In 2022, 419 cases were reported, averaging about 35 per month.

In 2022, Himachal Pradesh recorded the most workplace sexual harassment cases with 97 incidents followed by Kerala with 83, Maharashtra with 46, and Karnataka with 43. Surprisingly, West Bengal, despite ongoing protests over the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital did not rank among the top five states. The state reported only one such case that year.

Sexual Harassment Complaints Across Companies

In the financial year 2022-23, companies reported 1,160 sexual harassment complaints—the highest in the past decade, according to a report from the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University. The data was gathered from a sample of 300 companies, including those ranked in the top 100 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) by market cap, as well as firms ranked between 957 to 1057 and 1,914 to 2,013.

Pending Workplace Sexual Harassment Cases

In 2022-23, 202 workplace sexual harassment cases remained unresolved, according to the report. The gap between reported and resolved cases often occurs due to complainants withdrawing their complaints or either the complainant or the accused leaving the company. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act (POSH Act), enacted in 2013, aims to protect women and provide mechanisms to address such issues.