Guntur: Stressing the urgent need to ensure protection and safety for women at workplaces, AP State Women’s Commission chairperson Dr Rayapati Sailaja on Friday said the effective implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act is essential across all sectors, including political parties and professional bodies.

An interaction titled ‘Sharing of Thoughts’ was organised at the Women’s Commission office with the participation of advocates to discuss the implementation of the PoSH Act in political parties and professional organisations.

Speaking to the media later, Dr Sailaja said the Supreme Court had delivered several landmark judgments aimed at safeguarding women at workplaces, but greater seriousness was still required in implementing the law in practice.

She noted that a perception of insecurity at workplaces continued to prevail among women and that this concern extended beyond offices to political parties, bar associations, educational institutions and other spaces.

The discussions, she said, focused on ensuring the PoSH Act is enforced uniformly in all such environments, and a detailed report would be submitted to the government. She added that the situation in the unorganised sector also needed to be assessed.

Dr Sailaja pointed out that while incidents of sexual harassment were increasing, the number of registered cases remained low due to fear, social stigma and hesitation to speak out. She underlined that voluntary organisations, political parties and bar associations also fall within the definition of workplaces under the law. With sexual harassment on the rise, she said it was time to reflect seriously on women’s safety and security.