Naseebullah Khan
No day passes when incidents of sexual harassment don’t happen. From rape to making noise and gestures and from blackmailing to abusing and endangering modesty_ harassment has become a daily routine. Not only females, but transgender and males face harassment in their private and government workplaces. Despite the presence of laws, the situation has been pathetic whereas the conviction rate is unsatisfactory. The Dawn reports that in the federal ombudsman for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) 5008 complaints of sexual harassment were filed from 2018 to 2022. Among those cases, the cases filed against government sectors were 1286 females while 403 cases were filed by males. While in the private sector 2315 cases were filed by females and 1004 cases were filed by men. Moreover, 513 women were raped in Karachi in 2022. A national assembly was told that 11160 cases of rape/gang rape were registered across the country in 2022.
Daily Times reported that 14456 women were raped in 4 years. Daily Times reports and quotes the Ministry of human rights report submitted to the NA that the cases were lower than in the years 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 respectively.
The examples of Zainab a 6 years old who was raped in Kasur in 2019 and the gangrape of a woman on the highway in September 2020, when she was raped in front of her children by two men on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway_reflect how the severity of the situation. The incidents of harassment in educational institutions such as the IBA University Karachi in 2021, in Lums Lahore where a seasoned academic was harassed, in Balochistan University Quetta Balochistan University, and in Sheikh Zaid Hospital Quetta, where women employees were harassed, testify how predictors have forgotten humanity. Pakistan panel code 1860 deals with the harassment of women while it is silent on transgender and men’s community.
Section 354 says that for assaulting to outrage a woman,s modesty there is 2 years of imprisonment, fine, or both, 354 A says if a woman is stripped of her clothing there will be life imprisonment for the guilty, 366 A if a girl is induced for illicit sexual intercourse he will have 10 years imprisoned with fine, 375 deals with rape for which there will be 10 to 25 years of imprisonment, 509 is insulting women modesty, making sound or gestures, punishment for this crime is three years of imprisonment or a fine up to five hundred thousand rupees or both. Moreover, the Protection of Women against Harassment in workplace amendment bill 2022 which was implemented in 2010, was amended to say that a case of harassment is decided in 90 days and that government officials involved can be punished with suspicion or dismissal and licenses of professionals involved in the harassment will be revoked.
The conviction rate of harassment cases is dismal. In sindh, it rate is less than 1 percent. Some improvements have been seen and the rate of cases of sexual violence increased from three percent to 16 percent during 2022-2023 as per a report of the News.
1. Implementation of anti-harassment laws is a policy must. There should be a display of anti-harassment laws in government and private places, in educational institutions, and in public places. There should be anti-harassment comments with at least 1 women member.
2. Whistleblowers must be protected.
3. Harassment subject should be included in the syllabus
4. Despite females give other legal recognition including males and transgender
5. Unity and one voice. The Aurat March, Haya March, and Mera Jism meri marzi have divided the nation.
6. Political leaders should abstain from giving statements that divide the nation as former prime minister Imran Khan said that if a woman is wearing a few clothes it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots.
7. Government should bound electronic and print media to start special programs on television and publish about harassment in newspapers and magazines for the awareness of the people.
8. Imposition of Islamic law of fornication would be a positive step in reducing harassment cases. In many states of the world where the Islamic law of fornication is implemented, the harassment especially the rape cases ratio as less as compared to other states where the Islamic law of fornication is not the law of the land.