The five charts in Kanishk Karan’s 2018 Scroll.in article showed more workplace sexual-harassment complaints being registered in some reported datasets, but they did not prove that harassment was becoming more common or that complaints were being handled well. The figures came from different years, populations and methods. Current SHe-Box figures show portal and committee-record coverage—not complaint outcomes—so they cannot establish whether workers today are more likely to report or receive fair redress.
What the five charts measured
Published on 17 October 2018, Karan’s article examined official case registrations, company annual reports and surveys. Each number answers a different question; none is a direct measure of the total prevalence of workplace harassment.
Government registrations rose from 2014 to 2017
Figures from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, as reported by Scroll.in, showed 371 registered workplace sexual-harassment cases in 2014 and 570 in 2017, a reported increase of 54%. The article also reported 533 cases in the first seven months of 2018. These are reported or registered cases, not an estimate of all incidents. An increase could reflect changes in reporting, registration, incidence, or more than one of these; the figures alone do not distinguish among them. Scroll.in, 17 October 2018.
Annual-report complaints at 44 NIFTY companies
The article counted 614 complaints in 2017 and 620 in the following year’s snapshot across annual reports from 44 NIFTY companies. These totals describe that company sample, not all Indian workplaces, and should not be compared directly with the ministry’s national registrations: the sources and covered populations differ. Scroll.in, 17 October 2018.
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A survey on whether committees were perceived as fair
The Indian National Bar Association surveyed 6,047 participants in several cities between April and October 2016. As reported in the Scroll.in article, around 67% answered “no” when asked whether Internal Complaints Committees handled complaints fairly. This is a survey response about perceived fairness, not a national audit of committee decisions or a measure of all workers’ experiences. Scroll.in, 17 October 2018.
Evidence from workers beyond formal offices
The article also discussed a Martha Farrell Foundation survey of 291 domestic workers in Delhi and the National Capital Region, conducted over 4–10 June in the surrounding 2018 context. It cited separate, older research concerning laborers, domestic workers and garment workers. These studies draw on distinct samples and should not be treated as interchangeable or nationally representative. Their inclusion matters because a focus on company offices and formal complaint systems leaves out many workers’ circumstances, including abuse in family contexts. Scroll.in, 17 October 2018.
Why more complaints do not by themselves show better or worse conditions
A complaint count depends on more than how often harassment occurs. It can also be affected by whether people know how to complain, trust the process, have access to a committee, and see a route to resolution. In the article, independent advocate Sonal Mattoo was quoted as saying, “When you do an aggressive training regarding sexual harassment, you see an increase in number of cases.” That observation, attributed by the article to The Economic Times in September 2018, is not a measured causal finding.
The opposite inference is also unsafe: few complaints do not prove that a workplace is safe or that a committee is effective. As the article quoted ComplyKaro founder Vishal Keda asking, companies face a “moral dilemma” over whether to welcome an absence of complaints or treat it as a possible sign that women do not feel empowered to report. Complaint volume alone cannot settle that question.
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The article’s questions remain useful for evaluating a reporting system: “Do they do their job well?” and “Do they inspire confidence in women employees about handling cases?” Answering them requires outcome and process evidence, not just a count of complaints received.
What the current SHe-Box figures establish
The Ministry of Women and Child Development said that by 27 March 2026 more than 161,000 workplaces with over 10 employees had been onboarded to SHe-Box, more than 68,460 Internal Committee details had been updated, and 777 Local Committee records were available. SHe-Box launched on 29 August 2024. These are coverage and record counts; they are not complaint totals, disposal rates, fairness measures or prevalence estimates. Ministry of Women and Child Development, 27 March 2026.
The Ministry describes SHe-Box as an electronic portal and central repository for Internal and Local Committee information. Onboarding or listing a committee does not establish that an individual complaint was acknowledged, investigated fairly or resolved. The figures should therefore be read as implementation information, not proof of effective redress. Ministry of Women and Child Development, 27 March 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the POSH Act divides committee responsibilities
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly called the POSH Act, requires an Internal Committee in workplaces with more than 10 employees. District Local Committees handle complaints where the workplace has fewer than 10 workers or where the complaint is against the employer. The Ministry’s description of SHe-Box presents it as a repository for information about these committees, rather than as a substitute for their complaint-handling work. Ministry of Women and Child Development, POSH Act handbook.
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The 2018 charts are a historical snapshot, not a current trend report. The available current official figures do not provide a comparable nationwide series for complaints received, disposed of or pending across workplaces. Without a defined population, period and outcome measure, it is not possible to conclude from these sources whether complaints are now being acknowledged more often or handled more effectively.
In 2018, the article quoted then-minister Maneka Gandhi saying, “I believe in all of them,” and, “I believe in the pain and trauma behind every single complainant.” Those are historical remarks reported in that article, not a current statement. Scroll.in, 17 October 2018.
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