The Posh Act At Ten: Assessing India’s Decade- Long Journey Toward Workplace Safety And Gender Equity
- IJLLR Journal
- Jul 26
- 1 min read
Alzenah Shah, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata
ABSTRACT
India’s Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) emerged as a transformative legal response to institutionalized gender-based violence, operationalizing the Supreme Court’s Vishaka Guidelines. This paper critically examines the Act’s evolution, core mechanisms - Internal/Local Complaints Committees (ICCs/LCCs) - and implementation challenges over its first decade. Despite progressive provisions like broadened workplace definitions and quasi- judicial redressal bodies, structural gaps persists cultural stigma, underreporting, non-compliance among SMEs, and exclusion of LGBTQ+/male victims. Recent mandates for digital compliance portals (2023) remain insufficient against entrenched patriarchal norms and ICC inefficacy. Drawing on case law and empirical studies, this paper argues that without robust enforcement, victim-centric protections, and inclusive reforms, the Act’s promise of equitable workplaces remains unfulfilled. Urgent systemic overhauls are recommended to bridge legislative intent and ground realities.
Keywords: POSH Act 2013, Workplace Sexual Harassment, Gender Equality, Compliance Gap, Informal Sector
