National Conference on SHe-Box Reinforces Workplace Safety Push

Delivering the welcome address, Shri Anil Malik, Secretary, MWCD, underscored the institutional scale achieved through SHe-Box.

 In a major step toward strengthening institutional mechanisms for women’s safety at workplaces, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) today convened a National Conference on the Safety of Women at Workplace (SHe-Box) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event marked a significant milestone in the Government of India’s efforts to build a robust, technology-enabled compliance and redressal ecosystem under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (PoSH Act).

The conference was held in the presence of Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annpurna Devi; Minister of State, Smt. Savitri Thakur; and Members of Parliament including Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi, Smt. Rekha Sharma, Smt. Lovely Anand and Smt. Shobhanaben Mahendrasinh Baraiya.

Nearly 1,500 delegates representing more than 160 organisations attended the conference in person, while over 40,000 participants joined virtually, reflecting nationwide engagement across government, industry and civil society.

Scaling a Nationwide Safety Architecture

Delivering the welcome address, Shri Anil Malik, Secretary, MWCD, underscored the institutional scale achieved through SHe-Box. He noted that more than 1.5 lakh workplaces have been onboarded on the SHe-Box portal, with Local Committees now operational in every district of the country — effectively establishing a nationwide safety architecture.

However, he cautioned that with women’s labour force participation at 42 per cent and over 80 per cent of women working in the informal sector, sustained and innovative measures are required to ensure comprehensive coverage, particularly in unorganised and emerging sectors.

A thematic film titled “Safe Workplaces as Drivers of Viksit Bharat through Equality and Economic Participation of Women” set the tone for the day, linking workplace dignity with India’s long-term development vision.

Key Innovations Launched: Strengthening Compliance and Access

In a significant expansion of the SHe-Box ecosystem, the Union Minister launched:

• The official SHe-Box logo

• The PoSH Voluntary Compliance Checklist

• Integration of SHe-Box with the Mission Shakti App

• The Karmayogi Bharat PoSH Training Link on the SHe-Box portal

These measures represent a shift from grievance redressal alone to proactive compliance, digital accessibility and capacity building. The integration with Mission Shakti is expected to widen access for women across geographies, while the Karmayogi Bharat linkage institutionalises structured PoSH training for government personnel.

The PoSH Voluntary Compliance Checklist is designed as a self-audit tool for organisations, encouraging preventive compliance and internal accountability before violations occur.

The Union Minister also administered the National Workplace Safety Pledge, reaffirming collective commitment to ensuring safe, dignified and equitable work environments for women.

Women’s Safety as a Development Imperative

In her keynote address, Smt. Annpurna Devi emphasised that workplace safety is not merely a statutory obligation but a moral and developmental imperative. She highlighted that over 1.48 lakh institutions are currently registered on the SHe-Box portal, with more than 60,000 Internal Committees functioning actively across the country.

She noted that India’s female labour force participation has risen from 23 per cent to 42 per cent in the past six years — a transformative shift that demands parallel strengthening of institutional safeguards. Referring to the historic Gender Budget allocation exceeding ₹5 lakh crore, she reiterated that women’s dignity, security and economic empowerment are central to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

“A developed India will be one where every woman can work, lead and contribute without fear,” she stated.

Expanding the Ecosystem of Women’s Economic Participation

Minister of State Smt. Savitri Thakur highlighted the broader ecosystem that supports women’s economic empowerment. She pointed out that women’s labour force participation reached nearly 41.7 per cent in 2023–24, while 70 per cent of Mudra loans have been extended to women entrepreneurs. Additionally, 44 per cent of PM SVANidhi beneficiaries are women, and more than 10 crore women are connected through over 90 lakh Self-Help Groups nationwide.

While these figures demonstrate significant progress, she emphasised that true empowerment requires safe, respectful and harassment-free workplaces across formal and informal sectors.

Legal and Institutional Strengthening

Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), stressed that workplace safety is rooted in India’s constitutional guarantees of equality and justice. He observed that mechanisms such as the PoSH Act and the SHe-Box portal enhance transparency, institutional trust and accountability across sectors.

The conference also featured a nationwide PoSH training video and insights from the Ministry of Labour & Employment on how the new Labour Codes reinforce safe workplace norms.

Global Best Practices and Cross-Sector Dialogue

A high-level panel discussion on “Strengthening Compliance and Creating Safe Workplace Culture” brought together senior representatives from MWCD, Parliament, the Supreme Court of India, UN Women, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank, and experts in workplace safety and gender rights.

The discussion examined global best practices, compliance gaps in the unorganised sector, technology-driven reporting mechanisms, and the need for sustained capacity building among Internal and Local Committees.

Towards a Culture of Safety and Dignity

The National Conference on SHe-Box signals a transition from reactive complaint handling to preventive compliance and institutional reform. By combining digital integration, training infrastructure, self-assessment tools and nationwide participation, the initiative aims to create a culture where workplace safety is embedded as a core organisational value rather than treated as a regulatory formality.

As India accelerates toward Viksit Bharat 2047, ensuring safe and inclusive workplaces for women is emerging not only as a legal mandate but as a foundational pillar of economic growth and social justice.