TIFR Hyderabad (TIFRH) is committed to maintaining a professional learning and working environment for its employees, students and guests and follows a zero tolerance policy towards inappropriate conduct. The mandate of the Sexual Harassment Complaint Cell is to prevent gender discrimination and inappropriate sexual conduct. This is best achieved through promoting gender sensitivity and justice amongst all TIFRH members. Below are points to be aware as a member of TIFRH.
What Is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexually determined behaviour, whether directly or by implication, and includes physical contact and advances, a demand or request for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature. It also includes situations:
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- When unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, explicitly or implicitly, are made a term of condition of instruction, employment, participation, or evaluation of a person’s engagement in any academic or campus activity.
- When unwelcome sexual advances and verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct such as loaded comments, slander, remarks or jokes, letters, phone calls or e-mail, 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 campus environment.
- The above is not an exhaustive list.
What Can You Do?
Know Your Rights
- State your objections clearly to the person who is instigating the unacceptable behavior. Remain firm and committed.
- Continuation of unwanted acts should be reported to the Women’s Cell.
Lodging a Complaint
Complaints can be made verbally or in writing including through email, or in a letter to any member of the Committee or to any member of the TIFRH faculty. Assistance will be provided to those who make the complaints verbally to put them in writing. Complaints may be made by the aggrieved person or by a third party (with the written consent of the aggrieved person)
Redressal
Complaints can be made verbally or in writing including through email, or in a letter to any member of the Committee or to any member of the TIFRH faculty. Assistance will be provided to those who make the complaints verbally to put them in writing. Complaints may be made by the aggrieved person or by a third party (with the written consent of the aggrieved person)
Some Suggestions To Maintain A Healthy Environment At TIFRH
Not To Do List
- Do not physically touch anyone (without permission) and do so only if the other party openly (and without coercion ) agrees to the contact.
- Do not make sexist remarks or jokes or humiliate any gender or category of people.
- Do not take picture or videos or oral recordings of anyone without their freely given consent.
- Any written, multimedia, pictures, videos or oral recordings of a private sexual nature cannot be shared through e-mail, regular post, on social media or other websites.
- Do not send mixed signals – be firm and committed in your decision regarding any uncomfortable / unwanted action.
To Do List
- Treat everyone in TIFRH with respect.
- Any individual can ask that the door of an office be left open during any interaction.
- Any individual can request that meetings take place only during standard working hours and not in isolated areas.
- Any individual can request that meeting and study sessions take place in well lit public spaces rather than in rooms with limited access from the outside or in rooms that are private to one individual (e.g bedroom in a hostel).
Committee Members
- Prof. T. N. Narayanan – Convener
- Prof. Prasad Perlekar
- Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan (UoH, External Member)
- Dr. Mrinal Srivastava
- Dr. G Rajalakshmi
- Ms. Snehashree Cherekar (Legal Advisor)
- Ms. Roopashri R Prasad
- Ms. Aaheli Shee Burman (Student Representative)
Annual Gender Sensitization Plan
- Yearly session to the incoming graduate students during the orientation programme and distribution of flyers with norms of behaviour
- Commemoration of International Day of Women & Girls in Science, 11th February & International Women’s Day on 8 th March with lectures
- Workshops for new recruits in August – September of each academic year
- Workshops for Faculty and staff in January – February of each academic year
- Introduce some aspects of Gender equity in the compulsory course on ‘Research Methodology’