Gender Equality/Anti-Sexual Harassment Cell

Policy to Prevent Sexual Harassment

Nagaland University (NU) is committed to create and maintain a community in which students, teachers and non-teaching staff can work together in an environment free of violence, harassment, exploitation, intimidation and stress. This includes all forms of gender violence, sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex/gender or amongst the same sex members. The University is strongly in support of gender equality and opposes any form of gender discrimination and violence.

DEFINITION:

Sexual Harassment: For the purpose of this policy “Sexual Harassment” shall include, but will not be confined to the following:

......i) Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and/or verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature made, either explicitly or implicitly, in return for a term or condition of teaching/guidance, employment, participation or evaluation of a person’s engagement in any University activity;

......ii) When unwelcome sexual advances and/or verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct such as loaded comments, remarks or jokes, letters, phone calls or through e-mail or any other communication mediums, gestures, showing of pornography, lurid stares, physical contact or molestation, stalking, sounds or display of a derogatory nature, have the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s performance or of creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment; Forcible physical touch or molestation; Eve teasing, innuendos and taunts, physical confinement against one’s will and any other act to impinge upon one’s privacy;

......iii) Any act or conduct by a person in authority and belonging to one sex which denies or would deny equal opportunity in pursuit of education or career development, or otherwise making the environment at the University hostile or intimidating to a person belonging to the other / same sex;

 .....(iv) Any such conduct committed by a third party or outsider in relation to a student, teacher or non-teaching employee, or vice versa during the course of a person’s engagement with NU.

OBJECTIVE OF THE POLICY

......a) To fulfil the directives of the Supreme Court, enjoining all employers of the country to develop and implement a policy against sexual harassment and gender based violence at the work places.

......b) To evolve an effective mechanism for the prevention and redressal of sexual harassment and other acts of gender based violence at the University.

......c) To ensure the implementation of policy in letter and spirit through proper reporting of complaints and their follow-up procedures.

......d) To ensure that NU upholds the commitment to create an environment without gender based discrimination.

Procedure for Registering Complaints

......a) All complaints must be brought by the complainant in person to any member of the Cell/campus subcommittee. The exception for this will be in case of forced confinement of the person. In such a case, brought by another person on behalf of the complainant, the cell/campus subcommittee will examine whether an investigation, intervention or some other assistance is needed. In exceptional cases, third party / witness complaints may be entertained. In such cases, the Cell/campus subcommittee will ascertain whether the person alleged to have been harassed wishes to lodge a formal complaint. Once such a complaint is received, the cell/campus subcommittee shall proceed to investigate it as per the procedure specified.

........If the matter is reported to campus subcommittee, it shall immediately inform the Convener of the Cell and proceed for preliminary investigation and submit the report to the Convener of the cell.

......(b) If the complainant wishes, can be accompanied by a representative.

......(c) A complainant can go directly to the competent authority. However, in such cases, which should be exceptional, the complainant should give reasons for doing so. It is open to the competent authority to refer the complaint back to the Cell for inquiry.

MEMBERS OF THE CELL FOR ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Internal Complaint Committee (ICC): click here

GENDER CHAMPIONS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES

1. Guidelines for Gender Champions

2. Application Forms for Engagement as Gender Champion

Steps for submitting Complaint Form Online

1. Download the Complaint Form

2. Upload and submit here