ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq Friday stressed on Friday that women’s confidence and media awareness are the key weapons to eradicate harassment from society, where all stakeholders must play a collective role actively for the protection of women’s rights.
Speaking to the media, Kashmala stated that the Federal Ombudsman for Protection Against Harassment has been strengthened and given more authority to uphold the rights of women. She also stated that we have made sure that workplace harassment laws are effectively implemented throughout the nation in order to help women realize their full potential. She claimed that as a result of the Ombudsman’s campaigns to raise awareness, women are now more aware of their rights, feel safe at work, and participate more actively.
Ombudsman objective is to create awareness in society and provide free of cost legal services regarding harassment faced by females, she mentioned. We need to work on breaking stereotypes and giving women the strength to raise their voices, she added. She also lauded the performance and achievements of the Ombudsmen in providing expeditious and free-of-cost justice to the people against administrative injustices. She further suggested that all institutions, offices and organizations should have internal harassment committees and CCTV cameras to report their status of compliance with the law on workplace harassment.
Replying to a question, she said a sharp increase in incidents of violence against women and physical harassment has been witnessed across the country during the last few years, adding, the media need to work more on the rights of women in society. To another question, she said the Ombudsman anti-harassment cell does not only act on complaints filed by women but also entertains complaints of men and transgender persons, adding, registering a complaint is not a difficult task official pages are available on every social media forum where a complaint could be lodged easily.
