Government should do its part in ensuring safety of women in IT-BPO sector: Nasscom

NEW DELHI: With women constituting almost a third of workforce in IT-BPO sector, industry body Nasscom today said the sector had "robust guidelines" for security of employees but the government needs to play its part in ensuring safety of women.

On an average women comprise about 32 per cent of the workforce in the Indian IT-BPO industry, which employs close to three million direct and 10-12 million people indirectly.

"About 45 per cent of the new intake (hires) is women... The number of women employed in the BPO segment is higher," Nasscom President Som Mittal told PTI.

There has been an outrage in the country over security of women after alleged rape of a paramedical student by six men in a moving bus.

"As Nasscom and the industry, we have robust guidelines on the issue and people follow that. We work on a 24/7 basis, women work at night.

"For us, even before this debate started, safety of employees, particularly women, was very important. But we can not take over government's job. We can not take over societal changes that are required," he said.

Further, he stated that all cars employed by the companies in the sector have GPS. In addition, women employees do not get dropped last. "There is always a security guard or a male employee," Mittal said.

Asked if there is check on adherence to these guidelines, he said, "It is in our own interest. Why should we need a police to police it? We have our own need to do it. Its our job."

Mittal rubbished a recent study indicating that BPO and KPO firms have seen a 40 per cent decline in productivity at work after the Delhi rape incident as women employees have either reduced working hours or quit jobs.

The study said about 82 per cent of women respondents, mainly working in National Capital Region (NCR) had indicated that they have started leaving early after the sunset on account of security concerns.

The anxiety is more among women travelling by buses, three-wheelers and metro after it gets dark, it had added.

The study claimed that it had surveyed 2,500 women engaged in the BPO and KPO industries in the NCR and other cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad.

"Whoever has written that report has done a great disservice... Are we telling women that they cannot work at night? Are we saying that sectors like hotels, airlines, BPO industry and many others should be denied to women? None of my industry people are telling me this," he said.