Over 400 Workplace Sexual Harassment Cases Reported Annually Since 2018: Report

In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, there were over 419 reported cases, averaging approximately 35 per month, with Himachal Pradesh reporting the highest number of cases at 97

India has reported more than 400 cases of workplace sexual harassment annually since 2018, with an average of 445 cases each year, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, there were over 419 reported cases, averaging approximately 35 per month.

In that year, Himachal Pradesh reported the highest number of workplace sexual harassment cases at 97, followed by Kerala with 83 cases, Maharashtra with 46, and Karnataka with 43. West Bengal, which is currently facing protests over the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Hospital, was not among the top five states with the highest number of workplace sexual harassment cases. The state recorded just one such case that year.

This happened against the backdrop of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), which was established over a decade ago to protect women and provide a framework for addressing sexual harassment.

In FY23, companies reported a record 1,160 sexual harassment complaints, the highest number in the past ten years. However, according to data from the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University, only over half of these cases were resolved, reported Business Standard.

The data covers the sample of 300 companies, divided into three groups: 100 companies with the highest market capitalisation (ranks 1 to 100), 100 companies in the mid-range (ranks 957 to 1,056), and 100 companies ranked between 1,914 and 2,013 on the NSE.

As of the end of the financial year on March 31, 2023 (FY23), there were 202 pending cases. The relatively low number of pending cases, compared to the gap between reported and resolved cases, is attributed to factors such as complainants withdrawing their complaints or either the complainant or the accused leaving the company, according to the database.

In 2022, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported an average of 49 sexual harassment cases per day.