Daily Times

In Pakistan, cases of sexual harassment at the workplace are often not reported, as many victims prefer to remain silent rather than face publicity, and maybe humiliation

According to the Islamic perspective, a woman is an image of appreciation, solace, veneration, respect and love in every position she holds. Islam talks consciously of women the mother, the wife, the little girl, the sister, charms her and deals with her, focusing on her being deserving of love, kindness and liberality. It suggests women before suggesting man. It sees the affection for women as an indication of confidence. But here in Pakistan she ranks one of the highest in terms of gender-based violence in domestic, public and professional workplaces.

The recent upheavals of sexual harassment of women at workplaces in Pakistan are highly disturbing. It is baffling to know that there has been a sharp rise in sexual harassment of women at workplaces. The cases of sexual harassment of women within workplaces have more than doubled in last few years, according to a research report.

Moreover, to make matters worse, 85 percent of working women do not report workplace harassment in Pakistan. The sheer failure in properly implementing the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Law, 2016 is one of the reasons why the collective voices of women have had to come together. These are women who have suffered various forms of harassment by bosses, colleagues, and professors, etc.

Sexual harassment is a clear form of gender discrimination based on sex, although this relates not so much to the actual biological differences between men and women, but to social roles attributed to men and women, and perceptions about male and female sexuality in society. Sexual harassment is a clear manifestation of unequal power relations, it is not about deriving sexual pleasure out of the act, but about asserting power.

Workplace sexual harassment is globally condemned as sex discrimination and a violation of human rights, and more than 85 countries have passed legislation prohibiting it. Sexual harassment in the workplace increases absenteeism and turnover and lowers workplace productivity and job satisfaction. Yet it remains pervasive and underreported, and neither legislation nor market incentives have been able to eliminate it. Strong workplace policies prohibiting sexual harassment, workplace training, and a complaints process that protects workers from retaliation seem to offer the most promise in reducing sexual harassment.

The sexual harassment has a negative impact on the victim’s personality. The devastating psychological effects include anxiety, loss of self-esteem, suicidal behaviour and post-traumatic stress disorder

Sexual harassment includes a wide range of behaviours, from glances and rude jokes, to demeaning comments based on gender stereotypes, to sexual assault and other acts. Acts of sexual violence are always considered to be sexual harassment (as well as criminal acts). Suggestive jokes or insulting remarks directed at one sex may be considered sexual harassment in the legal sense, but not always, depending on context and frequency. And there is not a clear line between annoying courtship overtures and sexual harassment. Quantifying the severity of sexual harassment is even more challenging, as people react differently to objectively identical treatment. Furthermore, women tend to apply the term sexual harassment to more severe forms only, such as sexual violence

Although both men and women are sexually harassed, international researches show that a majority of victims are women. Victims are more likely to be younger, hold lower-position jobs, work mostly with and be supervised by members of the opposite sex, and, for female victims, work in male-dominated occupations. The sexual harassment rate for women in the female-dominated industries of education and health services is low but about double the rate for men in those industries.

Vulnerable populations such as migrant workers are especially subject to sexual assault and other forms of abuse and violence. Women are at far greater risk of sexual harassment than men in every industry and at every age.

As increasing numbers of women have joined the labour force over the last 3 decades, what has also increased is their vulnerability to unwanted attention at the workplace. Today, the problem of sexual harassment in workplaces is acknowledged as a serious issue as an occupational hazard and a violation of human rights. Beyond the harmful effects sexual harassment can have on workers, it also carries negative implications for the employers.

It leads to workplace tensions, which in turn can impede team work and performance, and encourage absenteeism, all of which ultimately lowers productivity. The organisation stands to lose valuable employees with otherwise good work performance, and could suffer from a negative public image should victims go public with their situations. There is also a financial risk in the form of lawsuits and payment of damages and fines.

In most Pakistan, workplace sexual harassment is a relatively new concern. Advocates against sexual harassment suggest that in the more traditional and conservative society of Pakistan, victims may be reluctant to come forward with complaints or confront their harassers because they may be shy or ashamed, fearful of retaliation, or may not know what to do about it. Often victims also may not even know that what is happening to them is sexual harassment, considering it just part and parcel of working life.

Whatever the case, the issue has undeniably become more prominent in the last decade, thanks to the efforts of civil society groups and the media, and pressure from international organisations. While there are still no binding international standards that specifically mention sexual harassment, Pakistan has have taken legislative action to recognise it as abusive behaviour, and to punish and prevent it.

Punjab Women Protection Law 2016 was passed to protect women against violence including domestic violence (physical and mental torture), economic abuse, and harassment and cyber crimes. The main objective of the Act is to provide justice and to protect women from all type of violence and give them a secure life where they can work properly and spend respectful life with their families. The Act will also empower the women and bring them on equal footing with the male population of the country.

The Government will also provide them special centres (shelter homes), to establish a protection system for effective service delivery to women victim to reconciliation and resolution of disputes.

There are several possible explanations for the silence. Victims who do want to come forward to report sexual harassment may be frustrated in their efforts , they may not know what actions can be taken, where they can report what is happening and/or seek assistance.

Their workplace may also lack appropriate policies or procedures to deal with the situation. Many other victims may be unwilling to come forward. As mentioned earlier, they may be ashamed or embarrassed about what has happened to them, preferring to keep quiet about it rather than risk being ridiculed or labelled. They may also be afraid of losing their income, or reluctant to confront the harasser who may be a superior or someone of prominent social standing, who may be able to negatively influence their career movement. Other victims may lack awareness of what sexual harassment actually is, or lack awareness about what to do about it, or they may feel that nothing can be done unless it involves rape or sexual assault.

In the workplace, harassers are usually in senior positions, wield decision-making authority or other influences that can affect career outcomes, or desire to assert or exhibit power and control vis-à-vis the victim. The latter tends to have limited decision making authority, lack self-confidence, be in a vulnerable or insecure position, or be socialised to ‘suffer in silence’.

The biggest challenge is to report the crime of sexual harassment. One of the primary reasons women don’t come forward to report sexual harassment or assault is shame. Shame is at the core of the intense emotional wounding women and men experience when they are sexually violated. This tendency to blame themselves and to be overwhelmed with shame leads into the next important reason why women don’t come forward; denial and minimisation. Many women refuse to believe that the treatment they endured was actually abusive. They downplay how much they have been harmed by sexual harassment and even sexual assault. They convince themselves that “it wasn’t a big deal.”

Fear of the repercussions is a huge obstacle women face when it comes to reporting sexual harassment or assault fear of losing their job, fear they won’t find another job, fear they will be passed over for a promotion, fear of losing their credibility, fear of being branded a troublemaker, fear of being blackballed in their industry, fear of their physical safety.

Reports have shown us that victims who cannot see a way out of an abusive situation soon develop a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, and this in turn contributes to them giving up and not trying to escape or seek help. Specifically, learned helplessness is a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed and considered to be one of the underlying causes of depression.

So, the sexual harassment has overall negative impact on the personalities of the women and they have devastating psychological and psychiatric effects includes anxiety, loss of self-esteem, suicidal behaviour and post traumatic stress disorder. Instead of focusing so much energy on trying to figure out why victims don’t report, it would be far more productive to ask, “Why do we allow men to continue to sexually harass and assault women?” Perhaps even more important, we need to stop asking why victims wait to report and instead focus on how we can better support victims in their quest for justice and healing.

The writer is PhD Scholar in Media and Crime, he can be reached at fastian.mentor@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, February 23^rd 2018.