Odisha Colleges Directed to Report Harassment Cases on She-Box by Aug 1
Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards promoting transparency and accountability in educational institutions, the Odisha Higher Education Department has directed all higher education institutions in the state to upload detailed information on harassment complaints and their resolution status on the She-Box portal—an online platform developed by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The directive comes in the wake of a recent tragic incident at Fakir Mohan College in Balasore, which has raised concerns over the effectiveness of institutional responses to harassment complaints. The department has now made it mandatory for all colleges and universities, as well as department-level offices, to comply with the norms outlined under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
As per the official order, institutions are required to submit:
- Details of their Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
- Information about the Local Committee, if applicable
- The total number of harassment complaints received
- The number of cases resolved
The deadline for uploading all relevant data on the She-Box portal has been set for August 1, 2025.
The initiative aims to ensure strict implementation of gender safety mechanisms and foster a more secure and responsive environment for both students and staff in Odisha’s higher education landscape. The Higher Education Department emphasized that the move is critical to building trust, enabling prompt redressal, and creating campuses free from harassment and discrimination.
