In our day to day lives we come across many incidents but unfortunately, we are unaware that many of them are offences under law.  There are several provisions related to offences against women specifically made punishable under various laws. Do you ever have question- What if somebody is following you even after your intimation that you’re uninterested? and other similar questions? For answers, let’s go to this section and look into few provisions under Indian Penal Code and Sexual harassment at Workplace Act.

Any act committed on a woman with the intention to outrage her modesty.

Examples:

  • A woman is slapped on her hip in front of the gathering.

 Punishment

  • Imprisonment of 1 to 5 years + fine

A man shall be guilty of sexual harassment if he is committing any of the following acts—

physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or

a demand or request for sexual favours; or

showing pornography against the will of a woman; or

making sexually coloured remarks.

Examples:

  • Sexual Harassment can be in the verbal or non-verbal form or in physical or visual form.
  • Standing too close to or brushing up against another woman or leaning over her. (physical form)
  • Comment about clothing, personal behaviour, or a person’s body. (verbal form)
  • Staring; Sexually suggestive looks  (non-verbal form)
  • Written material that is sexual in nature containing sexual comments. (visual form)

Punishment

  • Imprisonment up to 3 years or fine or both.
  • Imprisonment of 1 year or fine or both for making Sexually coloured Remarks.

Sexual Harassment at a place which is visited by the employee during the course of employment including government organisations, NGOs, House, Educational Institutions etc. It includes the promise of preferential/detrimental treatment in employment, also the threat about her employment status.

Examples:

  • A male boss hugging a female staff and kissing her on the check against her will to show his appreciation for her good work.
  • A young woman is stroked on her back by a male colleague as he thought her saree blouse too low and felt that it has provoked him.

Any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked.

Example

A used physical force to remove the clothes of a woman.

B threatened a woman to remove her clothes.

Punishment

Imprisonment of 3 to 7 years + fine

A person who follows a woman over a period of time in a frightening or annoying way through physical or Online or both mediums. In India, stalking – physical or electronic via phone calls, text messages, or emails — is a criminal offence.

Example:

A person follows a woman either on social media or physically despite your clear indication that you’re not interested

Punishment:
1st time offender – Imprisonment up to 3 years + fine.

2nd time offender or more – Imprisonment up to 5 years + fine.

Voyeurism is viewing and/or capturing the image of a girl or woman going about her private acts, where she thinks that no one is watching her. This includes a woman, using a toilet, or who is undressed or in her underwear, or engaged in a sexual act.

Punishment

1st time offender – Imprisonment of 1 to 3 years + fine.

2nd time offender or more – Imprisonment of 3 to 7 years + fine.

Electronic Voyeurism under IT Act is gender-neutral. It protects individual privacy from the crime of video voyeurism which destroys personal privacy and dignity by secretly videotaping or photographing unsuspecting individuals

Example

  1. Cameras or viewing holes may be placed in changing rooms or public toilets
  2. distribution of images or videos against the wishes or without the knowledge of the victim.

Acid attack means throwing acid or by using acid causing the other person permanent or partial damage to any part of the body.

  1. The offender causes permanent/partial damage or deformity
  2. It burns/maims/disfigures/disables any parts of the body of the victim.
  3. The act causes grievous hurt to the victim
  4. Injury caused by throwing or administering acid on the victim
  5. Offender has full knowledge and intention to cause such an injury to the victim.

Punishment

Life imprisonment or 10 year and fine to the victim

RAPE is a sexual act (sexual intercourse) with a woman by a man which is made without her permission or with permission but by threatening the life of the women to death, or lying to the women saying he is the husband of her, or she is underage, or she was in a state of intoxication (alcohol or drugs induced) or her mind is unstable (mentally or physically unstable) to predict what is going on around her.

 A man does the sexual act by doing either of the following acts-

(a) Penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a woman or makes her do so with him or any other person; or

(b) Inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis, into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her do so with him or any other person; or

(c)  Manipulates any part of the body of a woman so as to cause penetration into the vagina, urethra, anus, or any part of the body of such woman or makes her do so with him or any other person; or

(d)  Applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, urethra of a woman or makes her do so with him or any other person