STEPS FOR FILING A COMPLAINT

DOCUMENTING INCIDENTS AND PRESERVING EVIDENCE

Prior to initiating any formal action, the cornerstone of a successful complaint is the meticulous collection of information.

Memory can be fallible under stress, so the victim is urged to keep a detailed chronological log.

This "incident diary" should include dates, times, exact locations and an accurate description of what happened or was said. If witnesses were present, their names should be noted immediately.

In addition, it is vital to preserve any tangible evidence: emails, WhatsApp screenshots, call logs, photographs or notes left by the harasser. Imagine writer Virginia Woolf being harassed by a publisher.

To build her case, Woolf should not rely on her word alone; she should keep the handwritten letters where he makes inappropriate comments, note in her diary the exact day he cornered her at the printer's, and list the typesetters who witnessed the event.

This accumulation of evidence turns a subjective complaint into an objective and verifiable case.

INTERNAL CHANNELS (HR, COMMITTEES) VS. EXTERNAL

The victim has several avenues to seek redress. The first option is usually the organization's Internal Committee (IC), mandatory if there are more than 10 employees.

If the company does not have a committee, or if the harasser is the employer itself (the "boss"), the complaint should be directed to the Local Committee (LC) of the government district.

There is also the option of filing a criminal complaint (FIR) with the police, a right that the company must facilitate if the victim chooses to do so. It is crucial to know that an internal complaint does not nullify the right to criminal proceedings.

If Rosa Parks were to suffer harassment by a bus driver at her workplace, and that driver were the owner of the transportation company, she would not be able to go to a flawed internal committee.

Instead, she would have the right to take her complaint directly to the local government committee or go to the nearest police station.

The choice of channel depends on the structure of the company and the seriousness of the offense.

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS AND LEGAL DEADLINES

The law requires that the complaint be made in writing; oral complaints are not sufficient to initiate a formal investigation, although the committee may assist the victim in drafting it.

Six copies of the complaint must be submitted along with supporting documents. There is a strict statute of limitations: the complaint must be filed within three months of the incident (or the last incident, if it is a series).

If the victim is unable to do so due to physical or mental incapacity, his or her legal heirs or an authorized person may do so on his or her behalf. Suppose Leonardo da Vinci is harassed by a patron.

Leonardo has exactly three