Sexual Harassment...Now a crime in Pakistan under Article 509
''Sexual harassment is unwelcome behavior -- of a sexual nature -- that makes you feel uncomfortable, fearful or powerless, and interferes with your work. Sexual harassment can happen to anyone -- male or female, student or adult- employee''.
It was a great struggle and continuous effort of full length 10 years of Dr. Fouzia Saeed and her entire team that resulted in declaring sexual harassment as a crime in Pakistan under Penal Code section 509. After this law, many major steps have been taken and women are feeling more secure than before especially at work places and educational institutes. For Instance, cases of sexual harassment in Punjab University and University of Peshawar are the hot topics now-a-days.
Sexual harassment can be of multiple types.From a minute form of comment to extreme form of rape..all come under the umbrella of sexual harassment and it should not be ignored. Women and men must speak out when they feel they have been harassed by stopping the doer directly, or talking to the concerned committee who deals with such cases in an organization. A law can only be made strong by believing in its power to protect ones rights and by speaking out when things are going wrong way.
The recent law of sexual harassment in Pakistan does not need that victim must visit police station etc. In every organization and institution there has been made a committee of trained men and women who are there to help in this regard by keeping everything under confidentiality and listens to both parties and after investigations declares the outcome of the case. More over, for every area same type of committee has been made that helps to work for people who are not part of any institution or organization, for example house wives, unemployed people etc.
Also, it is now obligatory to all institution and work places under article 509, to make such a fair committee in there, other wise it will be heavily punished for not obeying the law. Also, an employee can take an action against one's own organization if there is absence of any such team to maintain harassment free environment.
Women and men now feel more empowered and confidant while working at certain place and this law has truly added to the good norms of our society.
It was a great struggle and continuous effort of full length 10 years of Dr. Fouzia Saeed and her entire team that resulted in declaring sexual harassment as a crime in Pakistan under Penal Code section 509. After this law, many major steps have been taken and women are feeling more secure than before especially at work places and educational institutes. For Instance, cases of sexual harassment in Punjab University and University of Peshawar are the hot topics now-a-days.
Sexual harassment can be of multiple types.From a minute form of comment to extreme form of rape..all come under the umbrella of sexual harassment and it should not be ignored. Women and men must speak out when they feel they have been harassed by stopping the doer directly, or talking to the concerned committee who deals with such cases in an organization. A law can only be made strong by believing in its power to protect ones rights and by speaking out when things are going wrong way.
The recent law of sexual harassment in Pakistan does not need that victim must visit police station etc. In every organization and institution there has been made a committee of trained men and women who are there to help in this regard by keeping everything under confidentiality and listens to both parties and after investigations declares the outcome of the case. More over, for every area same type of committee has been made that helps to work for people who are not part of any institution or organization, for example house wives, unemployed people etc.
Also, it is now obligatory to all institution and work places under article 509, to make such a fair committee in there, other wise it will be heavily punished for not obeying the law. Also, an employee can take an action against one's own organization if there is absence of any such team to maintain harassment free environment.
Women and men now feel more empowered and confidant while working at certain place and this law has truly added to the good norms of our society.
formulation of a law may be a good step but in pakistan where every inquiry is headed by males, there is no hope that a case would be registered against anybody... a case in point is the recent inquiry committee of University of peshawar...only a lecturer was suspended while the rest of them enjoyed their "innocence" by having a dinner at Shiraz...
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ReplyDeleteLets be a little more positive here. At least one lecturer is suspended, something that did not happen before these laws.The law says that at least one of the Committee members has to be a woman and let me confirm to you that there is a senior female member in the Peshawar University Committee. Please get your facts straight before writing on public forums. If someone is doing some good, have a big enough heart to acknowledge it.
ReplyDelete(Maliha Hussain-Social Activist)