The International Center for Refugee and Migration Studies (ICRMS)-BUITEMS and Federal Ombudsperson Secretariate for Protection Against Harassment at Workplace- regional office Quetta jointly organized a highly informative session on workplace harassment on December 4, 2025. The session was delivered by Ms. Tayyaba Kakar, Law Officer, and Mr. Muhammad Usman, Assistant Registrar, representing FOSPAH. The session aimed to raise awareness about workplace harassment and FOSPAH’s mandate. It was grounded in the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 (amended 2022), which seeks to provide free, swift, and accessible justice to victims of harassment.
Ms. Tayyaba elaborated on the broad definition of harassment, which includes unwelcome sexual advances, verbal, written, or visual communication of a sexual nature, stalking, gender-based discrimination, and even a single incident that causes fear, discomfort, or panic. The Act protects all types of employees, including regular, contractual, gig workers, freelancers, interns, volunteers, and domestic workers, across various work environments such as offices, factories, public spaces, and online platforms.
The presenters emphasized employer obligations, noting that organizations must display the Code of Conduct, establish Inquiry Committees, conduct regular training sessions, and face penalties ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 100,000 for non-compliance. They highlighted FOSPAH’s extensive powers, including summoning witnesses, entering premises, granting injunctions, and imposing penalties such as censure, fines, dismissal, or license suspension. The complaint process was explained in detail, with complaints able to be filed online or manually and a resolution targeted within 90 days, while cases concerning women’s property rights in ICT are decided within 60 days. Importantly, there is no strict time limit for filing complaints, making the process accessible to all victims.
The session also featured active participation from the ICRMS team, with Prof. Dr. Zahid Rauf providing valuable feedback. He commended the session and suggested that such informative programs be conducted on a larger scale, recommending that BUITEMS organize similar sessions for the wider university community. He further informed participants that BUITEMS already has a functional Harassment Committee and announced that the ICRMS team would establish its own small committee to align with the presented framework, thereby promoting a safe and respectful work environment.
The session concluded with a formal closing ceremony in which Prof. Dr. Zahid Rauf presented gift bags to the FOSPAH team as a token of appreciation. A formal vote of thanks was extended to acknowledge the team’s efforts in spreading awareness. The event concluded with a group photograph, marking a successful step towards fostering a safe, harassment-free workplace.
Reported by Muhammad Asif
Reporting Associate
