Bhubaneswar, July 18 (IANS) The Odisha Higher Education Department on Friday directed all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges under its jurisdiction, to take urgent steps to ensure that Women Helpline number is displayed prominently at important locations on their respective campuses.

The department through an official letter issued on Friday instructed all the higher educational institutions to ensure the mandatory and prominent display of the women’s helpline number “181” at strategic locations within their campuses.

The department also shared a soft copy of the display design instructing immediate compliance of the order. This apart, the higher educational institutions have also been asked to organise sensitization workshops on of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013 and UGC Regulations, 2015.

These workshops must involve teaching and non-teaching staff, Internal Committee (IC) members, and students.

The department also directed the educational institutions to ensure that a pledge will be taken by the participants to abide by the principles enshrined in the POSH Act, 2013 and the UGC regulations during the sensitization programme.

The Universities and colleges have been asked to organise the sensitization programmes within three days of issuance of this official letter.

Notably, the Odisha Higher Education Department has a few days ago issued an urgent directive to all state public and private universities, as well as government, aided, and unaided degree colleges to submit reports regarding the constitution and functioning of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.

The issue of women’s safety on the campus of higher educational institutions has recently taken center stage in Odisha after the tragic death of a girl student from Fakir Mohan Autonomous College in Balasore, following self-immolation attempt over alleged sexual harassment by one of the faculty members.

–IANS

gyan/pgh