DCW gives recommendations to DGCA on prevention of sexual harassment on flights

The recommendations include action against highly intoxicated persons including preventing such persons from boarding the aircraft, protocols to handle such passengers on plane and severely limiting alcohol intake on flights.

Taking the suo-moto cognizance of these incidents, the Commission had issued a notice to the DGCA seeking details of the action taken by the statutory body along with the guidelines issued to airlines for tackling such cases.

In its reply, the DGCA had informed the Commission of the specific action they took against the airlines.

The DCW was also provided a copy of certain guidelines — the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-3, Series-M, Part-VI and Cabin Safety Circular 2 of 2010 — as well as a copy of the advisory issued by DGCA to be followed by all airlines.

Upon examining the prevalent guidelines, the Commission observed that these do not provide specific instructions to airlines to properly handle, report, and redress cases of sexual harassment of female passengers at airport or on flights.

After that, the DCW recommended some preventive measures to be taken to stop such incidents.

“The recently issued advisory merely draws the attention of the pilot and crew members to their specific duties defined under the existing laws and guidelines and fails to direct the crew or the airlines to take concrete steps to prevent occurrence of such cases in the future,” the Commission said.

The DCW has also proposed action against persons indulging in sexual harassment on flights.

These include registration of FIR against the offender, setting up an independent committee to enquire into complaints of sexual harassment from passengers headed by a retired woman judge, increasing punishment against such passengers including increasing time period for which they can be put on no-fly list from 6 months to 2 years, sensitization of airline staff and setting up protocols for using restraining devices on passengers indulging in sexual harassment, incase all other means of stopping him on flights fail.

The Commission has also noticed that the crime of sexual harassment is simply treated as an ‘unruly behaviour’ by the DGCA guidelines. This is unacceptable as it belittles the trauma faced by sexual harassment survivors and prevents proper handling of such cases.

The Commission has therefore recommended creation of separate category for crimes of sexual harassment. Moreover, the Commission has proposed setting up mechanisms to raise an alarm on flights, CCTVs to be installed in aircrafts and announcements and brochures against sexual harassment in flights. The Commission has also proposed stronger action to be taken against airline and crew members for failure to implement a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment.

It has sought greater accountability from airlines and DGCA in this regard and has recommended that a monthly report should be shared by DGCA with the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the sexual harassment cases reported on flights and in airports as well as action taken against them.

“The present guidelines and advisories of DGCA do not address the issue of prevention and redressal of cases of sexual harassment properly. Infact, DGCA guidelines simply treat sexual harassment as ‘unruly behaviour’. This is completely unacceptable and these guidelines need to be revised urgently. We have sent a detailed recommendation to DGCA and have sought an ATR on the same within 30 days,” said DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal.