Moving beyond bureaucratic grey zones. Managing sexual harassment in Indian higher education

Abstract

In the aftermath of the global #Metoo-movement, sexual harassment (SH) and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV) have emerged at the forefront of public debate and research. Higher education instituions (HEI) worldwide have responded with diferent preventive measures, targeting context-specifc challenges and solutions. In India, post the enactment of the law on prevention and repatriation of SH of women at work in 2013, governing bodies in HE have issued several policies and guidelines. However, almost no empirical studies have explored the implementation and consequences of these initiatives. This pioneering study explores the Indian experiences of procedural change in this sense, through the challenges faced by internal complaints committee members. A specifc focus in the analysis is on the members discourses on executing the quasi-legal and behavioural mandates of the law. In conclusion, ambiguities within the law as such, misrecognized cognitive biases in committee members narratives, and a lack of adequate conversation on GBV and SH sums up to identifed bureaucratic grey zones. Several recommendations on context specifc preventive measures are suggested as well as core recommendations on future research targeting prevention of GBV and SH in HEI more generally