Enforcement Of Sex Harassment Laws Careless, Says Former Infosys Director

As the #MeToo movement gathers momentum in India, former Infosys director and IT industry veteran T.V. Mohandas Pai on Thursday said the government and other organisations have a 'general lackadaisical attitude' towards enforcing sexual harassment laws at workplaces.

The law is adequate, but as usual implementation is weak, the former Chief Financial Officer of Infosys Ltd said. He went to add that the IT industry was implementing it fairly well and is ahead of others.

All entities need to enforce sexual harassment laws within their enterprises but there is a general lackadaisical attitude within most of them, especially media and entertainment, Mr Pai said.

He added that the #MeToo becoming a global movement was a good development. "The government should criminally prosecute companies which have not complied with the law, but first the government should ensure that there is an adequate procedure for it. From what I know, the government itself is probably the biggest offender," he said.

Mr Pai added that for India, the biggest challenge was a 'broken down' justice system. "In our society, there is a lack of respect for rule of law. Many police and law officers are corrupt and our courts failing in their duty to deliver justice in time. This needs to change and then only then will be an improvement," Mr Pai said.

The #MeToo movement, which gained momentum after allegations of rape against Hollywood bigwig Harvey Weinstein has now made its way to India. Actress Tanushree Dutta has accused veteran actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. Following her allegations, women across various spheres, including journalists, have taken to the social media to name and shame their harassers.

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