A closer look

harassment

Harassment, or sexual harassment in particular, is in no way an easy phenomenon to deal with, whether we speak about Pakistan or any other country in the world. It’s a universal problem that has affected millions out there, with hardly any of them speaking about it. Many refrain from opening up due to the fear of being judged, blamed or not trusted because it is, “As difficult to prove as it is to disprove,” according to Kellyanne Conway.

However, this doesn’t diminish the need to raise one’s voice against such heinous acts that have serious effects on the victim’s mental and physical wellbeing. This makes it even more important to bring the subject to light so that one can work towards reducing it at least, if not eradicating it completely.

Considering this, ‘I Am Karachi Talks’, an initiative aimed at spreading ideas and creativity through inspirational sessions, brought together a diverse set of speakers who weighed in on the subject, highlighting some key aspects attached to the issue. The event took place earlier this month at IBA, City Campus in Karachi while the line-up comprised prominent media industry figures Hina Khawaja Bayat and Maria Wasti, Pakistan’s first woman SSP Shehla Qureshi and Shahbaz Islam, Head of Human Resource and Corporate Communications at SSGC.

The best part about the evening was the emphasis on a change in perspective. We continue to speak about the issue, its impact on victims and how important it is for them to raise their voices against such acts. But we never speak of how one should respond to it when it happens, what’s the history of these harassers and the solution that could lead to its elimination from society.

Beginning with Shehla Qureshi, the first speaker at the event, she spoke about how the police and law are actively working in this direction and in what ways one can reach out to them for help.

“The law for women protection against workplace harassment in Pakistan was passed in 2010,” she began to speak. “It is important to document it whenever someone faces it. The police will carry an investigation to find out if the complaint is genuine and then will speak to both parties involved, followed by serious action against the harasser.”

“Over 260 complaints are received per annum if we speak of Punjab University or Government College Lahore,” she continued. “If we review the literature on harassment in Pakistan, out of every three women, one is harassed. It is unfortunate that women, who commute via public transport, face harassment quite often and we train them not to speak up about it in front of anyone.”

Qureshi is an example of women empowerment who works towards making more women empowered. She also informed about departments in the CM house as well as in different districts that deal with issues related to harassment and urged people (men, women, transgender) to lodge complaints if they ever face any form of harassment.

Next speaker on the subject was Shahbaz Islam, who made sure the topic doesn’t feel too heavy on the audience and presented his point in the most subtle manner which was powerful at the same time. He insisted on having pro-active behavioural change in response to harassment as opposed to relying on someone else for help.

Taking the stage after Mr Islam, veteran actor and social activist Hina Khawaja Bayat came up with her own experiences of workplace harassment; as a teacher as well as when she entered the world of showbiz. Her emphasis was on the need to communicate and share what’s making someone uncomfortable, just like she did when she felt harassed. “One needs to decide when to ignore and when to take an action against any inappropriate act,” she stressed. “Social media shouldn’t be your first step; it should be your last resort when you have done everything else.”

Bayat’s speech was followed by Maria Wasti, who was the last to speak out of the four speakers featured in the line-up. She pointed out that we never try to find out what gives rise to these harassers; they should be discouraged when they offend or bully someone the first time. She said, “If they are encouraged to offend people and get away with it easily, they will continue to do so and will become more powerful with time.”

Moving towards solution on a final note, Wasti concluded, “What harassment is will be defined through our culture, society and through the gender norms. How a woman is supposed to dress up depends on the society she is a part of and therefore we have to decide what kind of a society we want to create for generations to come.”