Q. Is there an increased chance of sexual harassment in the digital workspace?

A. With the COVID situation, the physical interactions were reduced by a lot, so there really wasn’t any physical harassment in those times. But in the digital space, I would say that all of us are very vulnerable, especially because - no matter what you do, however many layers of security you apply on your account, people can still find a way to message you, or misuse your pictures, or find your contact details. To top this, in the virtual space, we share a lot from our personal lives. It makes it all the more easier for people to find you and harass you in the physical space then.

 

Q. While the POSH Act is gender-neutral, do you believe that there is any community that is more vulnerable in the virtual space than the rest?

A. I believe that while women are vulnerable in the digital space, there’s a higher danger to the LGBT community. You see people online harassing them, bullying them for their life choices. And then we have people, celebrities being trolled and harassed for anything and everything, be it a woman posting an exercise video or a harmless tweet. Just because it is in a public domain, anonymous people take full advantage and misuse their privacy. And it makes it difficult for everyone to give their opinion or voice any concerns because they’re judged on so many parameters.

 

Q. What measures do you believe the government as well as private institutions have taken to prevent harassment of men in the workplace?

A. TI think as a society, we have yet to grow up to that level where we’re able to identify that men can also be victims. Because of a patriarchal mindset and the way our society is structured, traditionally we consider women to be the victims. And this may also be because, sometimes when a marginalised group gets rights, there are instances of misuse and abuse of the same statutes that were meant to empower. This implies that men are not only victims of sexual harassment, similar to how women are, they are also more prone to be victims of harassment in way of misuse and abuse of rights.