WCD minister launches SHe-Box portal to enhance women's safety at workplace

New Delhi: Union Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi on Thursday launched a centralised platform designed to make workplaces safer for women by addressing and managing complaints of sexual harassment.

The portal, SHe-Box was an initiative which was launched by the government in 2018 when Maneka Gandhi held the WCD portfolio.

The ministry, in a release, said that the portal will serve as a “centralised repository” of information related to Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs) formed across the country, encompassing both the government and private sectors.

The portal will allow women to file complaints, track their status, and ensure that the grievances are processed in a timely manner.

It also features a designated nodal officer to enable real-time monitoring of complaints, thereby providing a streamlined and assured redressal process, the statement said.

“It offers a common platform to file complaints, track their status and ensure a time-bound processing of complaints by ICs. It provides assured redressal of complaints and streamlined process for all stakeholders. The portal through a designated nodal officer will enable real-time monitoring of complaints,” it stated.

“This initiative is a critical step forward in providing a more efficient and secure platform for addressing workplace-related sexual harassment complaints. It furthers the government’s commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive working environment for women across India,” WCD minister Annapurna Devi said.

The government, in a written reply in Lok Sabha, had stated that between November 2018 and July 2022, over 1349 complaints were lodged on the portal.