Kashmir Educators Draft Safer Classroom Plan

WISCOMP Scholars & Kashmiri Academics Stress Accountability & Equity In Higher Education

- Syed Sammar Mehdi

At a time when Kashmir campuses are facing growing pressure to create safer spaces for women, a two-day workshop at Government College for Women, M.A. Road, ended on Thursday with a call for “zero tolerance” against harassment on campuses.

The workshop, titled “Strengthening the Internal Committees for Zero Tolerance Campus,” was organised by the college’s Internal Committee in collaboration with WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace), New Delhi.

It brought together teachers, students, and gender champions to learn how colleges can prevent harassment, support survivors, and build redressal systems that work.

Over two days, participants attended lectures, group discussions, and case study exercises. Audiovisual presentations sparked open conversations about how harassment operates in subtle and systemic ways in educational settings.

The focus was on strengthening Internal Committees, the bodies mandated under India's Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, which serve as the first channel of redressal for complaints within institutions.