Vol. XLI No. 39 September 24, 2017
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DILUTION OF GSCASH: Women’s Organisations Express Concern

EXPRESSING strong protest against the attempts made by the administration of the Jawaharlal Nehru University to weaken the GSCASH (committee to look into complaints of sexual harassment), the AIDWA, AIPWA, ANHAD, Guild of Service, JWP and NFIW have written a letter to the vice chancellor of the university, on September 16.

The women’s organisations expressed strong concern at the reports which indicate that the university administration is making serious and unjustified attempts to dilute and destroy the autonomy of the Gender Sensitisation Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) in the Jawaharlal Nehru University.  They reminded the university administration that the GSCASH has been a model institution and has served as an example to similar institutions in several other universities since its inception in 1999. In this sense it may be noted that the autonomous functioning of the GSCASH has been exemplary in ensuring that the victims of sexual harassment get justice.

However it is regrettable, that in the recent past, the JNU administration has made concerted attempts to erode the independent functioning of GSCASH and violate its norms and rules. This fact is particularly alarming because the administration has approached the executive council and tried to get some cases of sexual harassment removed against persons in positions of authority. Such direct interference has always been resisted by the teachers and students of the university. In the light of such a history of interference the concerted attempt of the university to replace the election of members with the ‘nomination’ of members is a direct attack on the autonomy of the institution and goes against the spirit of natural justice for victims of sexual harassment.

In 2015, the university had set up a committee to review the rules and regulations of GSCASH in order to ensure its compliance with the revised notifications of the government of India and UGC. This committee had found the GSCASH compliant with all the rules and regulations of the land. Today, the university is using the pretext to review and dilute the GSCASH norms and procedures. This disturbing trend is all the more worrisome because the executive council that is going to sit on judgement over the report recommending the dilution of GSCASH has members (for example Bidyut Chakravarty of Delhi University who is an external member) who have either been found guilty of sexual harassment themselves or are facing charges of sexual harassment at their own workplace. This is unacceptable to any organisation working for gender justice.

In the light of the above, the women’s organisations have expressed their solidarity with the protesting students and teachers and requested the vice chancellor and all members of the executive council to retract any attempts to dilute and reduce the effectiveness of GSCASH. Any attempt to change the character of the GSCASH will meet with opposition from all sections of society who are concerned about gender justice, they warned.