Syndicates have no role in implementation

Islamabad:Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act Musarrat Hilali has said that syndicates of any educational institution has no role to play in the implementation of the recommendations of inquiry committee formed under the harassment law.

She was commenting on the delay in the implementation of inquiry committee decisions in two recent cases of harassment in Quaid-i-Azam University due to conflict of opinion in syndicate. “In such cases, the victims can directly contact the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat, as the committee decisions in these cases are final and the organization is bound to implement them,” she said. Musarrat was of the opinion that harassment victims are not properly utilising the option of ombudsperson that provides an alternate mechanism to file harassment cases. “Lack of knowledge about the law and ignorance about the presence of Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat is confusing victims as well as media persons discussing such cases on different private TV channels.”

She said that from such programs, general public is getting an impression that the victim has no other place to go if they are not satisfied with the decision. She said that the Harassment Act makes it mandatory for the management of the organizations to adopt the Code of Conduct and form a three-member inquiry committee to deal with the complaints of sexual harassment. “In case the perpetrator is too senior or is the owner of the business himself and the victim is not satisfied with the decision of the committee or feels that the committee cannot do justice, he or she can go to the Federal Ombudsperson. Victims can also directly file their complaint at the ombudsperson.”

Musarrat said that the provinces are in the process of establishing Provincial Ombudspersons. “Right now, the Federal Ombudsperson is receiving complaints from all over the country. Once, the Provincial Ombudspersons are formed, the burden on the federal set up will be divided,” she added.

Talking to ‘The News’, she said that the secretariat has asked High Courts and Chief Court of Gilgit Baltistan to shift all cases of harassment to the federal ombudsperson. She informed that the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat has received 13 cases of harassment since its establishment back in January 2011. “The secretariat started functioning properly in May when it was shifted in its own office. Since then, we have solved one case and decisions on some other cases will be announced in the next week,” she said adding that they still need more staff to function effectively. “Right now, we are working with the total strength of 40 staff members where as our actual demand is 79 staff members. We have formed different committees to deal with harassment cases and the statement of the complainant is recorded in my presence,” she said adding that the law also provides protection to the complainant even if the decision turns out to be against her. “The witness also gets protection under the law.”

She said that the law also applies in schools and colleges and advised all workingwomen to read the complete law to have better understanding of its implementation. “If utilised properly, it is a big strength in the hands of working women.”The news.