About Us

IIT Bombay’s Women's Cell has been in existence since 2002. With the enactment of the Institute's policy on sexual harassment, the Cell has been renamed the Gender Cell (GC).

The IIT Bombay Gender Cell (GC) inquires into complaints of sexual harassment through its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The GC and ICC strive to work towards an egalitarian environment where men and women are afforded equitable treatment and equality of opportunity.

Gendercell logo black
Gender Amity
Gender Amity

Promote equality, gender justice and non-discrimination.

Workshops & Training
Workshops & Training

Organize workshops and training programmes to sensitize students and employees.

Inquire and Action
Inquiry and Action

Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) inquires into complaints in a fixed time frame and recommends action.

Need Help
What is sexual harassment?

The definition of sexual harassment is broad enough to include different kinds of offensive, hostile, intimidating, humiliating and exploitative language, gestures and conduct. It is important to note here that what constitutes sexual harassment is defined by the person experiencing it, and not by the perpetrator.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual behaviour such as (but not limited to) the following.

IITB Policy against sexual harassment

Contact

Female QRT (Quick Response Team) in-charge:+91 9167398598
QRT : +919833337979, +919833338989

Office Address:
3rd Floor, N.N.
Next to Student Wellness Center,
IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai - 400 076.
Extension: 5052
Email: gendercell@iitb.ac.in

Types of sexual harassment:

Visual

Suggestive gestures, showing/sharing pornography.

Visual
Physical
Physical

Physical contact, gestures, or stalking. Unwelcome physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Verbal

Sexually coloured communication.

Verbal
Demands
Demands

Asking for sexual favours in return for something (grades, promotion).

What happens when I complain?

receive
Receive:

Email/letter from complainant

respond
Respond:

In 1-2 days; organize initial meeting

meeting
Meeting:

Discuss concerns; provide options

decision
Decision:

Complainant decides how to proceed

action
Actions:

Mediation; sensitization; formal complaint.

To download the Steps in Inquiry document click here

To download the ICC Complaints Form click here

Team members

GC-ICC Committee

Prof. Vaijayanthi Sarma (Convener), and Prof. Nandita Madhavan (Co-Convener)
(Names in bold are also members of the ICC)

Prof. Arti Kalro
Prof. Prachi Mahajan
Prof. Krishna S.
Prof. Bakul Rao
Prof. R. P. Vedula
Ms. Pramila Sasalekar
Ms. Padmaja R. Nair
Arpita Kumari (IGN, UG)
Sneha Susan George (PG)
Haritha Songola (PG)
Adv. Veena Gowda (External Member)
Dr. Chanyanika Shah (External Member)
Dr. Asha Achuthan (External Member)

Prof. S. Akshay
Prof. Sharayu Moharir 
Ms. Archita Patkar
Ms. Tanvi Mehta
Prof. Prabhu Ramachandran (Head, CC, Ex-officio)
Dr. S.G. Patil (Liaison Officer, Ex-officio)
Prof. Swati Patankar (GATI, Ex-officio)
Prabhat Sharma (ISHA, UG)
Rohan Bajaj (PG)
Shruti Manohar Ahuja (PG)

FAQ (Frequently asked questions)
Our Events
Resources

The following are some important official documents regarding sexual harassment at the workplace, including Indian Government acts and reports, international conventions and research papers.

 
Document name Author
Handbook on combating gender stereotypes Supreme Court of India
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace
(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
Government of India
Handbook On Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Ministry of Women and Child Development
Report/ Ordinance
Report of the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law
Recommendations for amendments to the Criminal Law by Justice J S Verma (retd) Justice Leila Seth (retd) Gopal Subramanium so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault against women)
Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932 An Act to supplement the criminal law
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Dec 1979 International treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly
Vishaka & Ors vs State Of Rajasthan & Ors on 13 August, 1997 CJI J. S. Verma, Supreme Court of India
CONVENTION C190
Convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work
International Labour Organization
Sexual Harassment of Women in Colleges and Universities:
Concerns and Solutions
16th November 2017
Genderlogue- Women Power Connect, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Saksham -
Measures for Ensuring the Safety of Women and Programmes for Gender Sensitization on Campuses
University Grants Commission

The following are links to videos, articles, art work and organisations that address sexual harassment in diverse ways. All reasonable efforts have been made to ensure these are current and reliable. However, the Gender Cell does not monitor, control or guarantee the information contained in these third party sites.

Title Description
Nazariya | UN Women | Sexual Harassment
By UN Women Asia and the Pacific
Video depicting the contrast between how a man and a woman perceive an interaction between them at their workplace
Jan 2, 2020
3 m 42 s
Kaam Ki Baat | UN Women | Workplace Harassment Kaam Ki Baat (Talking about Work) questions the everyday normalisation of sexual harassment of women at the workplace and advocates for safe and equal workspaces for all women (youtube)
Dec 16, 2019
2 m 33 s
Is This Sexual Harassment?
Men & Women Discuss
BBC video depicting events between two colleagues which are then discussed by people . A social experiment by journalist and presenter Ben Zand
Jan 13, 2019
6 m 6 s
Not Okay:
5 Women Share Their Everyday Sexual Harassment Stories | Women's Day | The Quint
Video depicting five Indian women sharing their everyday sexual harassment stories
Mar 6, 2020
6 m 27 s