Government of Tamil Nadu has approved a Standard Operating Procedure (“SoP”) for the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (“PoSH Act”), across all departments and establishments in the state. The SoP mandates the enforcement of both central and state-specific labour laws that govern workplace safety and promote gender equality. All organisations are required to direct their internal human resources departments to frame comprehensive anti-sexual harassment policies that adopt a zero-tolerance approach, clearly defining misconduct under service rules, prescribing time-bound disciplinary action, encouraging early reporting of incidents, and outlining preventive measures to foster a gender-equal work environment. While the PoSH Act applies specifically to women, the SoP clarifies that internal HR policies may be gender-neutral, allowing individuals of other genders to seek remedies under applicable civil, criminal, or sector-specific laws, such as the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. In cases involving minors, mandatory reporting to the police under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 is required. The SoP also mandates periodic awareness sessions and induction training for all employees and provides guidance for internal committees and local committees to follow when addressing complaints under the PoSH framework.
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