SDG 10.3Zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment
UPES's Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy covers every student, faculty member, employee and staff member, and committees with clear duties enforce it.
The policy
The policy bans any preferential or adverse treatment based on personal characteristics, including race, colour, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status and disability. It defines harassment as any verbal or physical conduct that undermines a person's dignity, in speech, writing, images or online, and commits UPES to investigate every report promptly, fairly and confidentially.
Who makes it work
- Committee on Anti-Discrimination. Oversees the policy, monitors campus practice, reviews reports and guides investigations into discrimination based on gender, race, caste, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability.
- Equal treatment at work. UPES's Principles of Engagement make it an equal opportunity employer: hiring, promotion, transfers, pay, benefits and training are decided without regard to gender, caste, religion, age, marital status, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Promotes fairness, gender equity and accessibility across the university.
- Internal Complaints Committee. Handles sexual harassment complaints under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, in a time-bound and confidential way, with support for complainants.
- Prevention, Monitoring and Gender Sensitization Committee. Women faculty, a woman HR officer and two women students from each school make campus visits to assess how safe women feel, monitor measures such as street lighting, and work with the Dehradun Police Women Cell.
- Student Grievance Redressal. A mechanism under the UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations, 2018, with a dedicated email and online portal.
Every year all employees and Internal Complaints Committee members complete Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) training, in person and online.
