Only details of 650 internal complaint committees of Dakshina Kannada uploaded on SHe-Box portal: Karnataka State Commission for Women chairperson

Karnataka's Women's Commission reports only 650 of 3,000 workplaces have uploaded Internal Complaint Committee details on SHe-Box portal.

Despite there being over 3,000 institutions and workplaces, only around 650 establishments have so far uploaded details about their Internal Complaint Committees (ICC) on the Sexual Harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box) portal, said Karnataka State Women’s Commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Choudhary in Mangaluru on Saturday, March 7.

Talking to reporters after the culmination of her four-day tour of Dakshina Kannada, Dr. Choudhary said setting up of ICCs at workplaces is mandatory as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. The SHe-Box portal was created by the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare to enable women to register workplace harassment complaints.

During the meeting with Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan and other officials in Mangaluru on March 7, Dr. Choudhary said three students from Government PU College who were injured in an acid attack in March 2024 met her. One victim, who had higher-degree burns, said her mother had to pledge her gold chain to meet expenses of her fourth operation. “I asked district authorities to reimburse the expense of the fourth operation and also meet expenses of the follow-up fifth operation,” Dr. Choudhary said. Each victim has been paid a compensation of ₹1 lakh.

Dr. Choudhary said she met a 44-year-old acid victim from Belthangady in the Government Wenlock Hospital on March 7 morning. After an acid attack by her husband, she had suffered 15% burns on her body. District authorities were directed to provide her a monthly compensation of ₹10,000.

There were two complaints against the Kavoor Police Station Inspector for abusing women who came to file harassment complaints. The jurisdictional Assistant Commissioner of Police was directed to take necessary disciplinary action.

A total of 38 complaints made before the Commission were heard and redressed on March 7, she said.