FOSPAH hosts seminar on “Harassment at Workplace”

KARACHI, Sep 02 (APP):Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (FOSPAH) Ms. Fauzia Viqar on Wednesday chaired an awareness seminar on “Harassment at Workplace” at the FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), main campus Karachi on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, she said that today we are in FAST National University, in continuation of visits to various institutions, including ZEBUL, National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA Karachi, and many other institutions as FOSPA has participated in an awareness campaign.

She said that we have spread the message that harassment is a crime in the workplace. The Law related to Harassment was introduced in 2010, which not only prohibits sexual harassment, but also prohibits all kinds of behavior, such as belittling or biasing a particular gender.

She added, so, harassment has been prohibited, and we are taking this message to the stakeholders, that if this is done, there will be severe punishments for it, from minor to major. In major penalties, dismissing a job means that the culprits can never get a job in that institution again, and in all its attached institutions. There is also a penalty of compulsory retirement, she said.

Talking about penalties, Ms. Fauzia Viqar said that those women who work for themselves, their licenses can be cancelled, and they can also be fined. It is very important to inform FOSPAH about these things, so that we do not only file complaints against such cases, but also reach out to people, so that these mistakes do not happen again. If people do not make such mistakes, or if they think that the law will not punish for it, and not only raise their voices against harassment, but also help each other, she advised.

She said that harassment is not the fault of the person who has been harassed, it is the fault of the person who is doing it. There should be a policy of zero tolerance in institutions, that is, action should be taken against it immediately, so that the message is conveyed, that especially women, who are almost half of the population, should not only get a safe job, they should be protected there, but they should also get equal opportunities, where they can work as equal citizens, as equal human beings, and get equal opportunities.

Ms. Fauzia Viqar pointed out that according to the law, it is necessary to have an inquiry committee in every institution after 2010.

She said that our institution does regular monitoring, and committees are made, especially in government institutions, committees are made everywhere. But because of the transfer/posting of people, committees have to be reconstituted many times, they have to be made again.

She said that those institutions in which those committees have not been reconstituted, her message to them is that they reconstitute their committees immediately, because there is a fine against it, we can take cognizance of it. And at the same time, she said, this is a big requirement of the law, whose compliance, especially in big institutions, whether they are government or non-government, is necessary.

She said that her own experience is that if an institution is strong, and there is hope for justice, and all the requirements of justice are being met, then people come. As per our own experience, our complaints increased manifold in the last year.

She said that as the people are getting awareness, they are coming more and more, because they have confidence that justice will be served.

She said that we have more complaints from private institutions, and also from government institutions, but if 60 percent are from private institutions, then 40 percent are from government institutions.

Later, Director of the FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES), Karachi Prof. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Memon presented a shield to Ms. Fauzia Viqar.