Up until 2008, sexual harassment in the workplace was very, very common. Even in the government sector, be it emergency service or civil service. The worst culprit for sexual harassment in workplace was and still remains to a large extent the corporate sector in Pakistan.
Men inherently think women are chattel to be used and abused, this phenomenon is not confined to Pakistan alone, but men are especially desperate in South Asia... As people embrace modern practices, employers adopt equal opportunities principles and a greater number of women from a diverse background choose to enter the world of work, rather than be confined to their four walls, naturally they will interact with the opposite sex, as with any social interaction, some interaction will be professional and courteous (following social norms) and some will be unpleasant.
In 2008,
Alliance Against Sexual Harassment helped draft and lobby for a law to protect against sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace. In 2010, the President signed
the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill, 2010 into LAW, making harassment of women in the workplace a crime.
Zardari signs bill: Harassment of women is now a crime - DAWN.COM
They also launched a campaign to make women more aware of the various types of "stereotypical" tharki's (visual aids bellow) out there, how to identify harassment as it comes in many forms (verbal, physical, gestures, financial etc), but most importantly teaching women that it is not their fault
(you will be surprised at how many women blame themselves) and that most importantly they have a right to say
NO and if the BASTARD doesn't listen, the can use legal recourse to see justice is done.
Ustad Lucha
"These men include wagon drivers and conductors of public transport who touch women in a sleazy manner under the guise of changing gears, taking money, or making room for other passengers."
Hocha Boss
"This guy can make your life hell. He persistently extends explicit invitations for sexual relations and threatens to punish you if you reject him."
Tharki Baba
"Every large family has men who like huging and touching young girls under the garb of being their older uncle."
Namurad Mobaloil
"These namurads enjoy using mobile phones as their tools to harass women. They send anonymous sexual text messages and also resort to sending vulgar poetry in the hope of making a connection."
Khabees on Wheels
"These men often stop their bikes or cars to offer rides to women walking on the street. They are also known to intimidate women drivers."
Keechar Teacher
"These are the teachers that blackmail female students for sexual favors. They also intimidate female teachers at times, and abuse Their authority. They give bad name to respectable profession."
Khudai Thekadaar
"These men impose their own version of morality on everyone else. They approach women and demand they cover their heads or lower their gaze. These are the one who throw acid in women's faces to punish those who go outside the homes. They actively support sexual harassment to show that the immoral women bring it on themselves."
Here is a list of all the Pakistani companies who have signed and agreed to follow a protection of rights at work, frame-work and code-of-conduct:
AASHA
The new law has helped bring an element of equality and protection to women in Pakistan:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\02\25\story_25-2-2010_pg3_3
But there is still much to be done, enforcement is still a very big issue and compliance by entities is very important.
AASHA published a CODE - OF-CONDUCT for implementation in the workplace for a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT: can be read here:
http://www.aasha.org.pk/Women_Harassment_Docs/Code of Conduct.pdf
The law requires all companies to be compliant with the code of conduct, punishment for non compliance:
- On failure of an employer to comply with the provisions of this Code, any employee of an organization may file a petition before a District Court and on having been found guilty, the employer shall be liable to a fine which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees, but shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees.
- In case the management fails to follow instructions from the Ombudsperson for information related to the inquiry process or fails to abide by the decision made by him/her the management will be punished with the same punishment as for contempt of high court.
I would urge every PDF member to check the list and see if your employer is registered, if not approach your HR and ask them if they knew about this and why they are not registered. Also if you witness harassment, preferably
try to break his face,
if not that, then at least report it.
IT IS A CRIME!
If you want to read more about AASHA:
http://www.aasha.org.pk
