Union Women & Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has announced the expansion of the ambit an online portal for working women and other girls/women to lodge complaints of sexual abuse/harassment they encounter at their respective workplaces and other places.

Widow of Sanjay Gandhi (younger brother of former prime-minister Rajiv Gandhi), Maneka is also an active social and animal rights activist. A few months back, she had launched a novel initiative in the form of ‘SHE box – Sexual Harassment Electronic box: http://wcd-sh.nic.in for women working in State Govt. and Central Govt. offices across the country to lodge complaints of sexual abuse/harassment.

The ambit of the site has now been expanded to cover all women working in private sectors and in many small and medium-range industries/factories/companies as well, Menaka has announced. Dedicated officials have been appointed exclusively to deal with the complaints received on this website and take further necessary action.

Depending on the nature of the complaints received, the officials would forward them to an exclusive committee set up to interrogate such complaints. Strict legal action would be initiated on the complaints based on the investigation report submitted by the committee, Menaka has announced.