Harassment against women: Ombudsperson receives 4 applications within week

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ombudsperson for protection of women against harassment at workplaces has directly received four harassment cases within a week after her notification as ombudsperson.

“I have received four harassment cases including that of a girl from Abbottabad,” said Rukhshanda Naz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ombudsperson for protection of women against harassment at workplaces, at a programme in connection with the National Women’s Day with youths organised by Noor Education Trust (NET) on Tuesday.

Rukhshanda Naz said she has taken charge of her office and sent a summary to the provincial government for providing staff and other facilities for hearing cases of harassment.

“I will soon start hearing the harassment cases,” she said, adding she hoped the government would provide facilities and make the appointment for the office of provincial ombudsperson without any delay.

She informed the participants that mostly students from the University of Peshawar that 72 persons two each in every district would be notified for receiving and forwarding the harassment cases to her office.

However, she said the role of the civil society was very important and its representatives would be included in the inquiry committees.

Rukhshanda Naz said that a Gender Indicator Management Information System would also be set up, which would release a quarterly report about the harassment cases across the province.

She explained that the ombudsperson had the powers to form an inquiry on the complaint of the victim if the complainant felt that the departmental inquiry committee was hiding the facts.

Khurshid Bano, the chairperson of Da Hawwa Lur, a non-governmental organisation, highlighted the efforts of civil society organisations for the establishment of the office of provincial ombudsperson.

She said there were many victims of harassment in the province mostly in universities but the victims became silent due to the non-existence of the office of provincial ombudsperson.

Roohi Khan, from the Noor Education Trust and Suleman Amin, a lecturer from Economic Department, University of Peshawar, stressed the need for creating awareness about the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace, Act 2010 and Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 among the youth especially at universities level.

Lubna Haye, Advocacy Manager at Khwendo Kor, sensitized the youth and students about cybercrimes under the “Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016”.

She explained that the people were using electronic devices mostly computers and mobile carelessly and they easily became offenders of the cybercrimes through social media due to lack of awareness about the relevant laws and regulations.

Lubna Haye said the cybercrimes cases were increasing day by day. Sharing data about the cybercrimes, she said the Cyber Crimes Wing conducted 514 inquires in 2016 out of which 49 cases were registered against the offenders and 47 arrested.

In 2017, she said 1290 inquires conducted, of which 207 cases were registered and 160 were arrested.

Similarly, in 2018, 2295 inquiries were conducted, of which 255 cases were registered and 209 offenders were arrested.