Safety of women Software Professionals working in bangalore

The software offices come within the purview of "Shops & Establishment Act".  This Act is State specific and hence, you have to refer Karnataka shops and establishment Act where you may find the provision regarding the working hours of women employees.  In most of the States these Acts prohibit women employees to work after 8.00 P.M. 

But that does not solve our problem.  In the changing scenario, when women are competing with men to achieve professional goals, a career woman cannot accept to sit at home at night and hence, our top priority would be to give enough freedom to women to work for the hours she would like and at the same time to see that she will not be vulnerable from the oddities.  Hence, I suggest you to contact a progressive advocate from Bangalore and file a public interest litigation in the High Court seeking guildelines to private enterpreneurs (not to forget to make labour department as party) to provide safety to working women at the workplace and in transit. 

The State Government has powers to exempt the "shops/establsishments" from applicability of the provisions of the Shops and Estt Act.  practically looking to the problem the simplest solution would be provising exclusive dormitories  with proper security arrangements. Pls refer to the provisions of the Factories Act where rest rooms/creches are meant to be provided.

Shreyas Zinjarde, Adv.

zshreyas@yahoo.com

+919822579522