Azaadi conducted a pilot survey to ascertain the extent and impact of sexual harassment in the workplace. Azaadi is a feminist organization that works on prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace, along with other gender based issues.

1. www.azaadi.org.in/
Freedom without fear
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
– Survey Report

2. About
Azaadi (Freedom), is a feminist organization that works on
prevention of sexual harassment at workplace, along with
challenging the gender status quo in Indian institutions, media, pop
culture and political spaces.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a growing problem in a
patriarchal society like India. With women’s participation in the
workforce increasing each year, India Inc. has a huge responsibility to
to ensure their workplaces are safe from harassment and gendered
expressions of power.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal under Prevention of
Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013. This law also mandates
every organization above 10 employees to have a complaints
committee and conduct sensitization programs for its employees.
Sexual harassment in
the workplace is a
human rights
violation that affects
the social, economic
and political
participation of
women in the
workforce.
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3. Demographic Profile of
Respondents
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4. Demographic Profile
Out of the total responses, 3%
respondents chose to identify
themselves as ‘queer’ or ‘gender
fluid’
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5. Demographic Profile
51% respondents were in the age
category of 22 years – 27 years,
which is ideally the age group for
their first job or being early in their
careers
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6. Demographic Profile
The responses were
received during the
period of Nov – Dec
2016
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7. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment
at Workplace
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8. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual Harassment in the
Workplace is a widely prevalent
issue, affecting many employees.
Findings:
38% respondents have
themselves experienced sexual
harassment in the workplace.
5% respondents were not sure if
their experiences counts as sexual
sexual harassment in the
workplace.
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9. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace is a widely
widely prevalent issue, affecting many
employees.
Findings:
From the total responses, 58% respondents
knew victims of sexual harassment at
workplace that are working in other
organization.
32% respondents knew victims within their
own organization.
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10. Personal Experiences of Being
Sexually Harassed in the
Workplace
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11. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Most victims of sexual harassment
in the workplace are young
employees, usually in their first
jobs or very early in their careers.
Findings:
52% respondents were sexually
harassed in the workplace when
they were between 22 years to 27
years old.
26% respondents were under the
age of 21 years.
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12. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment in the
workplace is more commonly
occurring than we think.
Findings:
12% respondents experienced
harassment within the last month
of undertaking the survey, and
14% within the last six months.
33% respondents had experienced
harassment in the last 6 years to
12 years.
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13. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment in the
workplace is more commonly
occurring than we think.
Findings:
40% respondents have been
harassed ‘quite a few times’.
21% respondents chose to
mark ‘I’ve lost count’, and 6%
have expressed continuing
harassment, as of Nov – Dec
2016.
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14. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment in the workplace
is more commonly perpetrated
against women by men.
Findings:
92% respondents shared that they
were sexually harassed in the
workplace by a male.
Additionally, total of 8% respondents
have marked their perpetrators as
‘female’, challenging the notion that
women cannot sexually harass
others.
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15. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Power dynamics are an integral
integral component of sexual
harassment in the workplace.
Findings:
A total of 88% respondents
were harassed by colleagues
senior in designation to them.
41% respondents were
sexually harassed by a ‘co-
worker’.
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16. Personal Experiences of being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment in the
workplace creates a hostile
working environment
Findings:
73% respondents were
harassed within office
premises, a direct link to an
unsafe and hostile working
environment.
25% respondents were
harassed through ‘electronic
means’ of communication.
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17. Situation and Experiences During
and Post being Sexually Harassed
in the Workplace
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18. Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Victims do not wish to file complaints.
Findings:
Only 20% respondents reported their
incidents of harassment.
19% respondents shared that they tried
to avoid or ignore the situation.
29% respondents spoke about their
experiences to people other than a
responsible authority, indicating a
prevalence of ‘support groups’ that can
potentially help the victims on an
emotional level.
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19. Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment in the workplace
affects productivity
Findings:
40% respondents experienced mental
stress.
40% respondent had difficulty
finishing tasks at work post being
harassed in the workplace. This
indicates a need to create and
increase emotional and mental
support towards victims of sexual
harassment in the workplace.
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20. “…comments grew so bad, I had to
resign in a month. No professional
cooperation at all. My projects
were shelved on purpose.”
Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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21. “Stopped respecting the
organisation and leaders.”
Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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22. Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Victims of sexual harassment in the
workplace are concerned about
backlash within the workspace.
Findings:
19% respondents shared that they
were treated badly in their workplace
workplace post harassment.
33% respondents did not notice any
difference.
5% respondents shared that they
were fired post being harassed.
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23. “…for some time the male
employees were very watchful
around me. I suppose it put a strain
on our friendships.”
Situation During and Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
23

24. Action Taken Post being Sexually
Harassed in the Workplace
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25. Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment complaints do not
produce any concrete results.
Findings:
15% respondents were ‘not taken
seriously’ when they filed a complaint,
indicating a need to build capacity of
committee members.
20% respondents revealed that there
was no action taken for their
complaint, indicating a need for
employers to establish trust in the
functioning of the committees
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26. “I was blamed and asked to be
careful.”
Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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27. “I was ordered to resign and the
pretext stated was my 'non-
performance' and 'bad behaviour' of
calling all men sexist, despite excellent
performance reviews…”
Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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28. Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Sexual harassment complaints do
not produce any concrete results.
Findings:
40% respondents were not
satisfied with the action and / or
decision taken by the committee.
15% respondents shared that
they were not sure if the action
taken was enough.
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29. “I was unhappy with the knee jerk reaction and
felt bad for having complained because I
thought a warning would have sufficed. Further
they did not hold any inquiry into the incident
which I thought was unfair to the person I had
filed a complaint against.”
Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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30. Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Victims are not aware of
complaints and redressal
procedures.
Findings:
32% respondents did not know
who can address their concerns.
19% respondents did not know
what to do, indicating a need of
higher awareness of employees
32% were worried of being
blamed for their experiences.
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31. Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
Hypothesis:
Victims are not aware of
complaints and redressal
procedures.
Findings:
29% respondents indicated that
they were concerned about ‘not
being taken seriously’
A total of 20% respondents were
worried about the backlash they’d
they’d receive in case they choose
choose to complaint.
31

32. “…parents told me not to report
it…”
Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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33. “I thought I'd put off reporting
unless things escalated and
began to make my day to day
functioning really difficult.”
Action Taken Post being Sexually Harassed in the Workplace
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34. Organizational Practices for
Prevention of Sexual Harassment
at Workplace
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35. Organizational Practices for Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Hypothesis:
Organizations are not complaint with the
Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Workplace Act, 2013, which mandate every
organization above 10 employees to have a
complaints committee for addressing sexual
harassment at workplace.
Findings:
16% respondents were not sure if their
organization has constituted a committee.
11% respondents shared that their
organizations does not have a complaints
committee
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36. Organizational Practices for Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Hypothesis:
Organizations are not complaint with the Prevention of Sexual
Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013, which mandate every organization
to conduct ‘sensitization and awareness’ programmes for employees.
Findings:
12% respondents were not sure if their organization conducts gender
sensitization activities.
47% respondents shared that their organizations does not conduct
sensitization programs at all, indicating a high need of increasing
organizational compliance towards the law of the land.
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37. Organizational Practices for Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Hypothesis:
Organizations are not complaint with the
Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace
Act, 2013, which mandate every organization to
conduct ‘sensitization and awareness’
programmes for employees.
Findings:
Out of those organizations that does conduct
sensitization programs, 61% of them have made
the prevention policy available on the internal
portal, which may not be effective as there is no
mechanism to measure if employees have
understood the seriousness of the issue.
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38. Summary
High Prevalence
• 38% respondents have themselves experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.
• 58% respondents knew victims of sexual harassment at workplace that are working in other
organization.
• 12% respondents experienced harassment within the last month of undertaking the survey, and 14%
14% within the last six months.
• 52% respondents were sexually harassed in the workplace when they were between 22 years to 27
years old.
Hostile Work Environment
• 73% respondents were harassed within office premises, a direct link to an unsafe and hostile working
working environment
• 40% respondents have been harassed ‘quite a few times’.
• 19% respondents shared that they were treated badly in their workplace post harassment.
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39. Summary (contd)
Gendered Expressions of Power
• 92% respondents shared that they were sexually harassed in the workplace by a male.
• A total of 88% respondents were harassed by colleagues senior in designation to them.
Affects Productivity
• 40% respondent had difficulty finishing tasks at work post being harassed in the workplace. This indicates a
need to create and increase emotional and mental support towards victims of sexual harassment in the
workplace
Need for Providing Support
• 29% respondents spoke about their experiences to people other than a responsible authority, indicating a
prevalence of ‘support groups’ that can potentially help the victims on an emotional level.
• A total of 20% respondents were worried about the backlash they’d receive in case they choose to complaint.
complaint.
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40. Summary (contd)
Lack of Awareness
• 32% respondents did not know who can address their concerns
• 16% respondents were not sure if their organization has constituted a committee.
Lack of Trust in Official Mechanism
• 20% respondents revealed that there was no action taken for their complaint, indicating a need for employers to
establish trust in the functioning of the committees
• 40% respondents were not satisfied with the action and / or decision taken by the committee.
Lack of Compliance
• 47% respondents shared that their organizations does not conduct sensitization programs at all, indicating a high
high need of increasing organizational compliance towards the law of the land.
• Out of those organizations that does conduct sensitization programs, 61% of them have made the prevention
policy available on the internal portal, which may not be effective as there is no mechanism to measure if
employees have understood the seriousness of the issue.
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41. Recommendations
To address the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, Azaadi strongly recommends the
following actions
• Graduate students about to join workplaces should be adequately trained on this issue and must be
aware of the provisions of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013, including
rights in the workplace.
• Organizational approach towards sexual harassment in the workplace has to be proactive instead
reactive.
• All organizations must have a functional complaints committee with trained members who are
to deal with complaints and incidences of sexual harassment in the workplace.
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42. Recommendations (contd)
To address the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace, Azaadi strongly recommends the
following actions
• Employers need to fulfil their legal responsibility for raising awareness on the issue. Additionally they
should ensure adequate assessment to measure effectiveness of their sensitization programs.
• Organizations have to strongly assert, implement and practice a ‘zero tolerance’ approach towards
harassment in the workplace.
• There should be adequate provisions to support victims on a mental and emotional level, for them to
with their experiences and deal with their situation better
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43. www.azaadi.org.in/
Thank you
Sonam Mittal
Founder and MsChief, Azaadi
sonam@azaadi.org.in
+91 - 9686 199 116
www.facebook.com/azaadi.org
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