In second such decision, an anti-harassment ombudsman has found two officers of the Sindh health department guilty of harassing their female colleague.
Official sources said on Thursday that the Sindh Ombudsman for the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on one accused and stopped for three years the promotion of the other after a two-year-long process. They said it was a second of its kind decision in a month against government officials on harassment charges.
How common is work based harassment in Pakistan? Sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination in Pakistan’s workplaces, including universities, are pervasive, mostly unreported and ignored by senior managers, a Dawn survey of 300 women found. In response to being asked whether women were made to stay silent about workplace harassment, 61 per cent said their employers did not coerce them to keep quiet, but a significant 35pc were told to remain silent by their colleagues and bosses.