Your go-to tool for navigating harassment, discrimination, and rights.
Browse information at your own pace. This tool is fully anonymous, nothing you explore here is recorded, stored, or shared.
Disclaimer
Helpline numbers and institutional contacts can change.
Verify current details through your institution's official website or student services office. All guidance is general and does not constitute legal advice.
Unwelcome physical contact, touching, or advances.
Requests or pressure for sexual favours.
Sexual comments, jokes, messages, or remarks.
Sharing pornography or sexually explicit content.
Stalking, repeated unwanted communication, or online harassment.
Any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, whether in person or online.
If you're unsure whether your experience fits a legal definition, you can still use this tool.
You do not need to label what happened before seeking support or information.
Consent is a clear, voluntary, and ongoing agreement to participate in an activity.
It must be freely given — not assumed, pressured, or implied by silence.
Freely given — not the result of pressure, fear, or obligation.
Reversible — anyone can change their mind at any time.
Informed — based on honest, accurate information.
Enthusiastic — not just the absence of a no.
Specific — agreeing to one thing does not mean agreeing to everything.
Past consent does not carry forward. Silence is not consent.
Consent given under a power imbalance — such as a professor–student relationship — may not be freely given.
Your rights, simply stated
Your college must have an ICC. If it doesn't, that itself is a violation you can report to the UGC.
You cannot be punished for filing. If anything bad happens to you because you filed a complaint, that is also a violation.
Your name must be kept confidential. The ICC cannot tell other students, the media, or the public.
You can ask for practical help during the investigation — such as a change of class section or hostel accommodation.
The inquiry must be done within 90 days. If it takes longer without explanation, you can raise this as a concern.
You can appeal. If unsatisfied with the ICC outcome, you can escalate to the appellate authority named in your institution's policy.
The POSH Act, 2013
Workplace Protections
The POSH Act
Mandates an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in all institutions to handle sexual harassment cases.
Timeline: File within 3 months; inquiry done in 90 days.
The Gender Safety Net Initiative began as a research question and grew into something more concrete — a tool built from real data, for real students.
The problem
Indian universities are required by law to have Internal Complaints Committees. The POSH Act has been in force since 2013. The UGC issued specific regulations for higher education in 2015. On paper, the framework exists.
In practice, most students have never had any of it explained to them. When something happens, for example, harassment, discrimination, a hostile classroom — the systems that are supposed to help are invisible, confusing, or simply not trusted. Students stay silent, not because nothing happened, but because every pathway to help feels too difficult, too exposed, or too unlikely to work.
This project started with a simple question: what is actually stopping students from accessing the protections that already exist?
What the research found
A survey of 101 students across Indian higher educational institutions produced some clear answers.
31.7%
faced discrimination, exclusion, or hostility due to gender identity or sexual orientation
65.3%
cited distrust in college authorities as their top reason for not reporting
63.4%
were never told how the grievance mechanism at their institution works
96%
said colleges must provide simpler, more accessible guidance on gender rights
The barriers were not primarily legal or structural but they were informational and psychological. Students did not know where to go, did not trust the process, and feared exposure more than the incident itself.
How to use this tool
This tool is designed to be used privately, at your own pace, with no pressure to commit to anything. Nothing you explore here is recorded or shared.
1
Read the definitionsThe collapsible sections on the guidance page explain what counts as sexual harassment and what consent means in plain language, without legal jargon.
2
Use the decision treeSelect the option closest to your situation. Each choice narrows the guidance to what's most relevant. You can revise any selection at any time.
3
Explore your optionsThe tool surfaces support pathways like formal complaints, peer support, mental health resources, faculty allies, or documentation guidance based on what you're looking for.
4
Check your rightsThe Your Rights section explains the POSH Act, UGC Regulations, and Vishaka Guidelines in plain language, and links to official government portals.
You do not need to know what happened to you, or what to call it, before you start. The tool is designed to help you find that clarity.
Scope and limitations
This tool provides general guidance only. It does not constitute legal advice, initiate complaints on your behalf, or guarantee any particular outcome. Helpline numbers and institutional contacts may change. Always verify through your institution's official channels.
The survey data underpinning this project was collected through convenience sampling and is not nationally representative. The tool is intended as a starting point, not a substitute for professional legal or mental health support.
PK
Pranav KhatriDepartment of Political Science, Ramjas College, University of Delhi · Class of 2027
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