Legal Aid as a Tool for Enforcing Workplace Safety: A Study of Sexual Harassment Laws in India

Sexual harassment at the workplace remains a grave violation of women's fundamental rights to dignity, equality, and safety. Despite the enactment of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, significant implementation gaps persist due to fear, stigma, procedural barriers, and institutional failures. This paper critically examines India's legal framework governing workplace sexual harassment, analysing key judicial decisions, empirical data, and challenges faced across organised and unorganised sectors. It further evaluates the functioning of Internal Committees, digital complaint mechanisms, awareness programmes, and the role of paralegal volunteers in supporting victims. The research concludes that effective legal aid, institutional accountability, and preventive mechanisms are indispensable for creating genuinely safe and harassment-free workplaces for women in India.