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Good practice Imported

Vishaka Guidelines & India's POSH Act — Workplace Sexual Harassment Redress

India · New Delhi · See the India profile · See the New Delhi profile

Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 55% 63/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

In 1997 India's Supreme Court issued the Vishaka Guidelines against workplace sexual harassment, codified in 2013 as the POSH Act requiring Internal Complaints Committees nationwide - though government data and the Supreme Court itself still flag weak enforcement.

539
Complaints recorded via SHe-Box portal (2017-February 2020)
164 (~30%)
Complaints resolved (2017-February 2020)
50%
Minimum share of women on Internal Complaints Committees
Vishaka Guidelines & India's POSH Act — Workplace Sexual Harassment Redress

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Supreme Court of India / Ministry of Women & Child Development
Period
1997-present
Keywords
law, workplace safety, gender-based violence, public policy

Context

In August 1997, the Supreme Court of India ruled in Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan that sexual harassment at work violates a woman's fundamental rights to equality and a safe workplace, and issued binding guidelines (the 'Vishaka Guidelines') requiring every employer to set up a complaints mechanism, in the absence of any specific law at the time.

Objectives

The guidelines were codified in 2013 as the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, which mandates an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), with at least half its members women, in every establishment with ten or more employees, and sets statutory timelines for inquiries.

Activities

The Ministry of Women and Child Development later launched the 'SHe-Box' online portal to centralise complaint filing.

Results

Between 2017 and February 2020, the SHe-Box portal recorded 539 complaints nationally, of which 164 (about 30%) had been resolved, according to the government's own figures.

Conclusions

In December 2024, the Supreme Court publicly criticised 'serious lapses' in ICC implementation across institutions, and legal commentators note that compliance remains patchy, especially among smaller and informal-sector employers. The framework is nonetheless a foundational, still-active model that has shaped subsequent Indian gender-based-violence law.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in every establishment with 10+ employees, at least half women, Ministry of Women and Child Development oversees the SHe-Box portal

Conditions for success

  • Statutory timelines for inquiries
  • Centralised complaint-filing portal (SHe-Box)

Common failure modes

  • Supreme Court found 'serious lapses' in ICC implementation across institutions (December 2024)
  • Compliance remains patchy, especially among smaller and informal-sector employers

Where it fits

Governance type
federal parliamentary democracy
Scale
national
Income level
lower-middle income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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