The Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem, on Tuesday, told the Senate that the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace registered some 378 cases during the last four years. In reply to a question by Senator Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, Naseem said that 145 complaints were received from Islamabad Capital Territory, 153 from Punjab, 53 from Sindh, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Balochistan and one from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
He further said that 220 cases of women harassment were received from the government departments while the inquiries in 50 cases were being carried out by the respective departments and penalties were imposed on the culprits in 49 cases; in two cases, the penalty of removal from service was imposed; in seven cases, censure letters were issued; and in 15 cases, the penalties ranged from the stoppage of increment to withholding promotion and to compensate the complainant were imposed.
The minister said that 20 cases were received from various organisations in 2014; six cases were received from different universities, which included Quaid e Azam University, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Virtual University; five cases were reported from Pakistan Post Office; two from Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF); and one each from Lok Virsa Museum, Gun and Country Club, Punjab Information Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination. app.
The minister further said that 83 cases were reported in 2015, 53 in 2016, 43 in 2017 and 21 in 2018.
Published in Daily Times, August 29th 2018.
