The POSH Act has made it mandatory for every employer to set up an Internal Committee (IC) to address all issues related to sexual harassment at the workplace.

Primary Functions of this committee are:

1. To receive the complaints and take necessary actions. In addition, IC should provide assistance if the complainant chooses to file a complaint with the police;
2. Maintain confidentiality and protect the identity of the parties to the complaint;
3. Provide relief by way of sanctioned leave or relaxation of attendance requirement or transfer of the complainant or offender to another department or supervisor during the pendency of the complaint;
4. Ensure that victims or witnesses are not victimised or discriminated against, while dealing with complaints of sexual harassment
5. Ensure prohibition of adverse action against anyone involved in the complaint

IC shall consist of a minimum of 4 members and at least 50% of the total members shall be women.

The members shall include:

1. One Presiding Officer: A Woman working at senior level as employee; if not available then nominated from another office/units/department/ workplace of the same employer.
2. Two Members (minimum): From amongst employees committed to the cause of women/ having legal knowledge/experience in social work.
3. One External Member: From amongst NGO/associations committed to the cause of women or a person familiar with the issue of Sexual Harassment.

Under the Posh Act, 2013, POSH training for the members in ICC is mandatory. The training is focussed on:

1. Building ICC members’s capacity to conduct investigations on sexual harassment at workplace complaints;
2. Explaining guidelines of procedures, timelines and documentation as per POSH Act, 2013;
3. Building ICC systems and processes aligned with larger objectives of the organization.