The National Implementation Watch Committee (NIWC), constituted on the platform of National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), held its quarterly meeting on Thursday to monitor and facilitate the implementation of anti-sexual harassment legislation: Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010, and amendment to Section 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The NIWC is chaired by Dr Fouzia Saeed (Member, NCSW and Director of Mehergarh) and comprises of government officials, media personnel, civil society activists and private sector representatives.
During the meeting, the committee reviewed nation-wide implementation process and identified areas where more work needed to be done. During discussion, the committee highlighted two cases: one of a pilot who complained against her trainer and another of a PIA employee who complained against her station manager. It was informed that in both the cases the management of PIA had flagrantly violated the order of high court (in the pilot’s case) and the order of Ombudsperson Musarrat Hilali (in the case of station manager).
The unhealthy and unproductive work environment of PIA where sexual harassment is rampant was also discussed in the committee’s meeting. The committee condemned the complacent and indifferent attitude of the PIA management. The option to file a contempt of court application against the management of PIA was also explored by the National Implementation Watch Committee. It was decided that upon failure of the PIA management to implement the orders of court and federal ombudsperson, the NIWC will file a contempt application against the PIA management.
Maliha Husain, NIWC Member, said: ‘Such lawlessness and abuse of the laws will not be tolerated where a law has been promulgated in conformity with our constitutional right of earning our livelihood with respect and dignity.
The law needs to be respected, implemented and followed.’ Similar sentiments were shared by other NIWC members who expressed great deal of anger and concern over the current state of PIA work environment and its resistance in implementing the laws. It was also observed that for laws to be properly implemented, good precedents need to be created by the judiciary for efficient working of the law. The NIWC also discussed the future planning of transitioning of the implementation process from the federal to the provincial level. Musarrat Jabeen, Deputy Secretary Women Development Department Sindh, announced that Sindh Implementation Watch Committee of Sindh province had been set up.
Salma Qureshi, Additional Secretary of Women Development Department of Balochistan, said that her province had also announced Balochistan Implementation Watch Committee. The committee members congratulated the Sindh and Balochistan representatives who were now in the process of smoothly transferring the implementation process from the federal to the provincial level.
