Caritas India remains deeply committed to fostering a safe and respectful working environment for all its staff. To further this goal, the organization conducted a mandatory Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) training for its entire team on December 20, 2024, in collaboration with CBCI staff. The management teams of both Caritas India and CBCI were present, along with Secretaries from various commissions under CBCI.

The main session was led by expert resource person Ms. Megha Gupta Paul, who shared her extensive legal expertise on the PoSH Act. At the start of the session, Father Sushil Lal Modi, the Administrator of Caritas India, emphasized the organization’s commitment to implementing the PoSH policy. He reassured everyone that management is serious about upholding the values of a safe and respectful workplace.

The training covered the full scope of the PoSH Act, with Ms. Megha providing valuable insights and real-life examples from her legal background, making the session both informative and relatable. Participants engaged actively, asking questions to better understand the PoSH Act. Key topics discussed included, the concept of gender equality, the reasons why the PoSH Act primarily focuses on protecting women in the workplace, and the importance of adhering to the guidelines set out by the Act
Ms. Meghna also emphasized how critical it is for organizations to establish their own internal policies and procedures for maintaining conduct and discipline.

A significant portion of the session focused on the establishment and functioning of the Internal Committee (IC) and Local Complaint Committee (LCC). Ms. Megha walked attendees through the legal framework governing these committees, explaining how complainants can file cases and ensuring they understand their rights and available mechanisms for seeking redress. Additionally, a specialized session was held exclusively for members of the Internal Committee (ICC), where they were trained on effectively handling complaints. This session focused on differentiating between sexual and non-sexual misconduct and outlined steps ICC members should take to support a safe and respectful workplace environment.

To ensure that all staff members had an opportunity to engage with the content in their preferred language, a separate training session was conducted for those more comfortable in Hindi. This session was led by the Lead HR of Caritas India.

Overall, the training session was both enlightening and empowering, equipping attendees with a deep understanding of the PoSH Act and necessary tools to promote a safe workplace. It fostered an open, interactive environment where participants felt encouraged to clarify their doubts and deepen their knowledge on this vital subject.Caritas India’s commitment to implementing these measures is a crucial step towards ensuring that every employee feels safe, respected, and valued in their workplace.