Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida Wednesday urged working women to fearlessly raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplaces and fight for their rights.
Speaking at an orientation programme on the POSH Act (2013) at the state secretariat, Lok Seva Bhawan, Parida said, “Sexual harassment is not a stigma or taboo. If we remain silent, we empower the harasser. Saying ‘no’ is your right; use it. The government stands firmly with victims.”
Parida, the only woman minister in the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government, also heads the Women and Child Development department.
She addressed over 600 government employees, both men and women, at the session designed to raise awareness on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (POSH) Act.
Emphasising institutional accountability, she said, “Strict directives have been issued to set up Internal Committees in all institutions and colleges to ensure proper implementation of the Act. Action will be taken against both offenders and those making false accusations.”
Parida has been the target of the opposition BJD and Congress over a brutal attack on a 15-year-old girl in Balanga, under her Nimapara constituency, who was set ablaze by unidentified assailants.
Taking aim at the previous BJD regime, Parida said the POSH Act had been neglected since its introduction in 2013.
The orientation programme was attended by renowned lawyer Manasi Padhi, who delivered a detailed presentation on the POSH Act during two dedicated sessions.
She explained the provisions, rights, responsibilities, and redressal mechanisms under the Act in depth.
Opposition BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty, however, in a X post said, “The Deputy Chief Minister must ensure that when a victim speaks, it is not met with institutional silence from the government or her party. Justice should not end with video messages; it must be delivered in action.”
He cited the case of a student from FM College, Balasore, who reportedly faced harassment but failed to get justice due to delays and inaction by the college ICC, police, and political leaders.
“The common people, along with opposition parties, are now fighting for justice for our sister. Meanwhile, a minor girl belonging to a minority community, from the area represented by Madam Pravati Parida, was set ablaze and is now fighting for her life,” Mohanty said in the social media post, adding that across Odisha, incidents of sexual harassment are being reported almost daily due to the breakdown of law and order under the BJP government.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, Parida, who flew to Delhi after addressing the programme, said: “I met the victim from Balanga, who is undergoing treatment at Delhi AIIMS. She hails from my constituency. I spoke to her family and relatives. During this visit, I discussed her health condition and treatment with the medical team and specialists providing her care. I pray to the Almighty that she recovers quickly.”
PTI
