SHOR to complain against sexual harassment at workplace

A mobile app and a website that allows women professionals in Noida and Greater Noida to lodge complaints of sexual harassment at workplace and track the disposal process were launched here on Friday.

The app, named S.H.O.R (Sexual Harassment Online Redressal), is available free of cost on Google Play store while the website could be reached at www.shorapp.in and could also be used by women working in informal sectors to register a complaint, officials said.

The bilingual app, available in Hindi and English, is developed by Interra Information Technology with support from the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration under the corporate social responsibility initiative, they said.

"Sometimes the victims get mentally harassed during the process to get justice in cases of sexual harassment. The process is so tedious and awareness about it so less... I hope this problem is also gets resolved with this app," Noida MLA Pankaj Singh said during the launch.

District Magistrate Brajesh Narain Singh said women working in the informal sector like domestic helps and those working under contractors can also use the app to raise their issues.

"Any working professional in Gautam Buddh Nagar can use the app and website to file a complaint and get it timely redressed. The Constitution provides everybody equal rights and opportunities, the laws are there in place but the only challenge was its proper implementation. With the use of information technology we are trying to address that problem," Singh said.

Interra IT Managing Director Shauvinik Sarkar said the app is compliant with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and also helps victims become more aware of the laws and rights they have.

"The app which allows working professionals to easily lodge sexual harassment complaint,” Sarkar told PTI.

Experts, however, cautioned women to use the app cautiously and not lodge false complaints.

“We have to be very cautious about preventing misuse of the app. Today we are in the era of #MeToo but if it gets misused then the whole purpose of such campaign comes under question...women come under questioning. The app and the law should be used with a mature approach,” Dipa Singh Bagai, former IAS officer and chairperson of district level committee for sexual harassment, said.

Noida police chief Vaibhav Krishna said sexual harassment at workplace is a pertinent issue and also recalled working out cases in which the harassers had turned out to be women only.

“From the point of view of the police, we consider it a serious issue and assure full support to all cases that come to us in a systematic order,” he said.