Daily Times

In Pakistan, cases of sexual harassment at the workplace are often not reported, as many victims prefer to remain silent. 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, 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 upheaval of sexual harassment of women at workplaces in Pakistan is highly disturbing. 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.

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.

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 harass and assault women sexually?”

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

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.

In Pakistan, workplace sexual harassment is a relatively a 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 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.

In the workplace, harassers are usually in senior positions, wield decision-making authority or other influences that can affect career outcomes.

The biggest challenge is to report sexual harassment. One of the primary reasons women don’t come forward to report sexual harassment or assault is a 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 to the next important reason why women don’t come forward.

Reports have shown that victims who cannot see a way out of an abusive situation soon develop a sense of hopelessness, 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 an 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 harass and assault women sexually?”

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

Published in Daily Times, February 26^th 2018.