Saturday, 12 August 2017
MUET Harassment Complaint Cell
According to a research conducted
by UNISON in 2008, more than 50% working women face sexual harassment in
Pakistan. An increasing number of violence cases are filed every day and there are
even bigger number of incidents which go
unreported. A total of 24119 of violence against women cases were reported
during 2008-10 among which only 520 workplace harassment cases were filed.
Harassment
against women at workplace is totally unacceptable behavior and we highly need
to understand this that it’s not ok in any case to bear it. This is just not a
behavior but it’s a crime and those who do this can be punished legally.
Harassment should be reported immediately; sadly it has remained common and unreported
as well.
There
are several reasons behind this, like fear of disrespect, exploitation,
blackmailing but all these can be stopped when the offenders are exposed; not
by silence.
“Silence
promotes them, exposing them stops harassment”
In
order to avoid such an environment that affects working conditions and creates
a hostile work environment for women, Government of Pakistan has enacted an act
in 2010 “Protection against Harassment of women at the Workplace Act” with a
motive to create a safe working environment for women which is free of
harassment, abuse and intimidation allowing them to work with dignity. It has
established various harassment complaint cells all over the country and has
directed HEC and universities to constitute enquiry committees for this
purpose.
What is Sexual Harassment?
Sexual
harassment involves unwanted or unwelcome behavior, which can offend, humiliate
and intimidate a person while creating a hostile working environment.
Sexual
harassment includes but is not limited to:
- Making unwelcome sexual advances
- Verbal harassment or abuse, verbal or written communication (it includes narration of sexual incidents, emailing or messaging or showing explicit sexual content in print or electronic form (SMS, Email, Screensavers, Posters, CDs etc)
- Request for sexual favors (invitations for sex, requests for going out on dates)
- Physical conduct (like touching, kissing, patting, pinching, physical assault like rape etc.)
- Sexually demeaning attitude (leering or staring at a person’s body)
Any
of above mentioned acts is included in harassment , if it is unwelcome and is
causing interference in work performance or creating a hostile working
environment or the harasser attempts to punish the complainant for refusal to
comply with his/her requests and makes sexual favors a condition of employment.
How does it occur at workplaces?
According to the 2010 law, sexual harassment manifests itself at
a workplace in following three forms
- Wage increase
- Promotion (to a higher grade)
- Training opportunity (within or outside the country)
- Transfer (to another place, department etc.)
- Job itself
“Creation of Hostile Working Environment”
- any unwelcome advances ,
- request for sexual favor,
- other verbal or physical conduct ,
Which interferes with
individual’s work performance or creates a hostile and intimidating work
environment
Retaliation. If the victim refuses to
grant sexual favors, the perpetrator can retaliate in following
ways:
- Limiting an employee’s options for training, future promotions
- Distorting the evaluation (annual confidential reports)
- Generating gossip against the employee
- Limiting access to his/her rights (right to complain, right to work with dignity, right to promotions, wage increases etc)
What types of punishments are provided under this law?
If you lodged complaint within your organization i.e. to inquiry
committee, following two types of punishments can be given to the guilty
person. The Competent Authority can impose one or more of the following
penalties on recommendations of inquiry committee.
Minor Penalties
- Censure
- Withholding increment or promotion, for a specific period of time
- Stopping at an efficiency bar in timescale, for a specific period of time
- Recovering compensation from pay or any other source of guilty person (this compensation has to be paid to victim)
Major Penalties
- Reduction to a lower post or lower time-scale
- Compulsory retirement
- Dismissal from service (it disqualifies for re-employment)
- Removal from service
- Fine
Our
Worthy Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Mohammad Aslam Uqaili has also constituted an
Enquiry committee comprising of 3 members which was previously led by Prof. Dr.
Mukhtiar. A. Unar and now by Prof. Dr. B.S. Chowdhry as Chairman HCC, Engr
Arshad Memon as Member HCC, Dr Attiya Baqai as Harassment Monitoring Officer.
MUET
HCC is taking complaints and it is online now. The aggrieved female students,
faculty or staff can register their complaints online. You can even attach
proofs or give the names of witnesses and accused persons to support your
complaint. MUET HCC will try its level best to keep the complaints
confidential. If complaints are found to be forge then serious action will be
taken by the MUET HCC committee. The rule book designed by HEC and act 0f 2010
regarding what comes under sexual harassment and the punishments is also
available on our university website for the general information.
In
order to raise awareness regarding this issue a seminar was also held on 25th
November 2016 at MUET Auditorium in which honorable Mr. Syed Pir Ali Shah, Provincial
Ombudsman Sindh, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, Karachi,
was the Chief Guest. Worthy Vice
Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Aslam Uqaili, Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Tauha
Hussain Ali, respected Directors, Deans, Registrar, Chairpersons, MUET
Harassment Complaint Cell Committee members and a large number of faculty and
students specially females attended this seminar.
It
is our goal to provide women a comfortable environment in MUET where they can
excel in their work and feel as safe as they feel safe at their homes. Our
religion also teaches us that Almighty Allah has created men to protect women,
support them and care for them, not to harass them or abuse them. We all want
peaceful environment in MUET and we are very thankful to our administration,
directors, deans, chairpersons and the male faculty and students for being so
cooperative and supportive.
Our
worthy vice Chancellor has taken many steps to provide such an environment by
promoting the establishment of Society of Women in Engineering, Baby Day Care
Center, Gender Equity,
References;
Article By: Attiya Baqai
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