Rawalpindi Bar Association to form committee

Islamabad

Rawalpindi Bar Association would soon adopt the code of conduct and form a three-member enquiry committee to implement Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010. 

The announcement was made after an interactive session on ‘Sexual Harassment against Women and Legal Remedies Provided Under the Law of the Land’ organised by Abbas Welfare Trust in collaboration with Chomic Foundation on Monday. Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr. Fouzia Saeed was the keynote speaker at the event.

The purpose of the event was to raise awareness among women lawyers about the administrative approaches to adopt the code of conduct and set up the mechanisms in the formal sector in accordance with the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act. 

Dr Fauzia briefed the participants about the background of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act. She said the act is not only women specific but it protects everyone from sexual harassment including children, men and transgender.

Saeed informed the participants that large number of harassment cases have been registered since the enforcement of act which indicates that the act has been quite effective to curtail the sexual harassment cases at work place. She further said that the "Alliance against Sexual Harassment"(AASHA) undertook an intensive campaign and convinced number of organisations to adapt the code of conduct on sexual harassment in their companies.

Chomic Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sarwat Sughra Wazir briefed the participants about the psycho-social aspects of sexual harassment against women. She said that such awareness raising events will play an instrumental role in ensuring that workplaces are free from unpleasant and intimidating environment caused by sexual harassment."

Nayyar Shabana Kiyani said that it was long awaited demand of the women lawyers to organise such event on harassment against women. She said every single woman in Pakistan faces harassment on daily basis and women lawyers are also not an exception since they are working in an extremely male dominated profession. A documentary ‘I Was Not Alone’ was also screened on the occasion.