Himmat is a pro bono initiative founded by WBNUJS students Megha Rana and Sreeja Sengupta. The objective behind the initiative is to equip survivors of sexual harassment with the support and knowledge required to tackle Internal Committee (IC) proceedings in universities.
They provide a pro bono legal assistance to survivors while considering/pursuing an IC proceeding. This service is provided by connecting survivors to experienced lawyers by way of a form provided on their Website in the ‘Need Help’ section. It is open to all students and can be availed anonymously as well in order to remove any backlash for seeking help. They spread awareness through their website www.safecollegespace.com which contains information required to pursue an IC complaint, how to file a complaint, tips on submitting evidence, and recourse available to a survivor.
In their pursuit of making information about anti-sexual harassment law more accessible, Himmat has recently launched a free and comprehensive Handbook on the UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations 2015.
The rights, protections, and procedures provided in the UGC Regulations for students are not common knowledge. Providing this information and spreading awareness about students’ rights are the first few steps towards making University campuses safer spaces for everyone. In pursuance of this, the handbook provides a clear overview of the legal framework and redressal mechanisms available to college-going students in a simple and succinct manner and is supported by necessary case laws. It has been written by Himmat’s research wing consisting of students from NUJS and National Law School Bangalore and has a foreword authored by renowned women’s rights advocate, Veena Gowda. The Handbook has been supported by logo partners Lawctopus, TrustIn and Sasha.
The Handbook can be freely accessed here
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