Chennai convention sees women push for ICCs, better safety law enforcement

CHENNAI: Eighty-six women’s groups and safety organisations from across Tamil Nadu came together at Loyola College recently to demand better enforcement of safety laws, starting with the establishment of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs) in all educational institutions.

While laws like the POSH Act — the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act — exist to protect women, awareness about them remains low, particularly among women in the unorganised sector. To address this gap, the Women’s Safety and Gender Justice Collective, in collaboration with the School of Service Learning, Loyola College, hosted an all-day 'Women Safety Convention 2025’ on Sunday, featuring multiple speakers addressing topics such as workplace ICCs, POCSO, and safety issues faced by women in informal sectors, culminating in a list of demands presented to the government.

One of the organisers, activist and former professor Saraswati, said the idea for the convention emerged after the Anna University rape case. The team travelled across ten districts to consult women and curate demands. “We wanted to nip the bud of this gender crisis rooted in a patriarchal structure,” she said, adding that the convention aimed to make those demands public and push for the government to involve women’s groups while implementing them.

Some of their key demands include the establishment of ICCs in all educational institutions under the POSH Act, ‘Women Protection Committees’ at workplaces, stricter laws against AI-generated deep fakes, active sensitisation about issues faced by transgender communities, and child protection policies in all professional settings that have children.

Leelavathi from Swati Pengal Iyakkam in Karur, one of the attendees, believes conventions like these should lead to the strengthening of existing laws. Other attendees share a similar sentiment. “The laws need to be stricter,” they say. However, there remains a lot of confusion regarding the existing laws themselves. “Women do not know these acts, nor do they know how to utilise them. Be it POCSO or the ICCs, nobody is aware of how to use them for their benefit,” points out Britney Priya, a student volunteer.

The convention not only empowered women with knowledge, but it also connected them to a stronger support network. Azhagamma, a resident of Koyambedu in Chennai, says the convention has motivated her to file a complaint in the future and has helped her find a support system. Mahalakshmi from Pengal Ezhachchi Iyakkam in Madurai adds, “Such conventions help build communities for women and connect them with civil society.” Despite these efforts, the women reiterate that the onus for change ultimately lies with civil society.