Two doctors found guilty of sexual harassment at workplace

The Provincial Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace has penalised the programme director and evaluation officer of child health programme for causing sexual harassment, mental agony, creating a hostile environment at the workplace, and imposed a penalty of withholding of promotion for a period of three years.

The order came on an application of Rubeqa Sharif, acting principal of the School of Nursing Civil Hospital, Thatta, who accused Dr Iqbal Hussain Chandio, programme director national maternal, newborn and child health programme, and Dr Ashique Hussain Shah, monitoring and evaluation officer of the programme, of sexual harassment and creating a hostile environment at the workplace.

The provincial ombudsman, after hearing the complainant and the defendants’ counsel, made the observation that the demeanour of the accused persons had undoubtedly established that they had sexually harassed the complainant by misusing their authority.

The ombudsman found them guilty of harassing women at the workplace and imposed penalty on Dr Iqbal Hussain Chandio under section 4 (4) (i) (d) of the Protection against Harassment of Woman at the Workplace Act, and directed him to pay a fine of Rs1,00,000 as compensation amount to the complainant within 30 days. The ombudsman also ordered that in case of default on the payment of compensation, the amount will be recovered through the accountant general by attaching, deducting salary or other benefits.

Dr Ashique Hussain Shah was also penalised under section 4 (4) (i) (b) of the act and his promotion is withheld for three years as and when it is matured, and his case for the next promotion is placed before the Departmental Promotion Committee for first time as per procedure after passing of the order.