What is She-Box?

Most often, when we hear about complaints mechanisms relating to sexual harassment at the workplace, we tend to focus on the redressal mechanism followed by the internal committees at workplaces. However, this is not the only forum through which a complaint can be initiated by an aggrieved woman. Sexual Harassment electronic Box (SHe-Box) is a government of India initiative introduced in the year 2017. SHe-Box is an online complaint management system through which an aggrieved woman may lodge a complaint relating to sexual harassment at the workplace.

SHe-Box ensures the effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act) by facilitating faster and efficient disposal of complaints related to sexual harassment at the workplace. Through this initiative, women working across different sectors, both in organised and unorganised spaces, can register a complaint of sexual harassment. It can be utilised by both private and public sector employees.

This initiative, monitored by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, is linked to the concerned departments across all States and Union Territories in India. Once the portal receives any complaint of sexual harassment, the concerned authority having jurisdiction will act on the matter. Through the SHe-Box portal, one can not only register their complaints but also follow up on its status. The complainant and the concerned authority can even monitor the progress of inquiry conducted by the internal committees. Even a person who has already initiated an IC proceeding is eligible to register a complaint through SHe-Box.

Through SHe-Box, an alternate, user-friendly and convenient forum is available for aggrieved women to lodge complaints. Availability of such a forum is especially relevant in cases where there may be organisational reluctance to take up complaints. Such a setup would also encourage ICs within organisations to take their PoSH compliance responsibilities seriously and respond to complaints in a time-bound manner.