Countering Sexual Harassment! | Why it Matters?

The constitution of Pakistan grants every Pakistani citizen the right to gain employment and education without any discrimination on the basis of sex, creed or caste. Unfortunately, for a large chunk of the population, especially for women, these fundamental rights are neglected in the places of work and education. This happens due to the menace of sexual harassment that has plagued these places for decades now. It is only after the commendable efforts of civil societies in creating and raising awareness that now sexual harassment is considered a moral and legal crime. UN Charter for Human Rights designated sexual harassment as a form of violence against women, bounding it on all signatories including Pakistan to put an end to its existence.

However, in Pakistan the situation is still gloomy. According to a survey conducted in the year 2018, 93% of women in Pakistan faced some sort of sexual violence in their lifetime while only 7% of them reported it to authorities (Tribune, 2018). Similarly, another survey shows that around 36% of women faced sexual harassment at their work/education places, and the majority (66%) of the victims of harassment preferred to leave their jobs rather than go through legal procedures (Dawn, 2018). This situation is not only affecting thousands of qualified people individually but the whole nation as well. The widespread presence of sexual harassment in our workplaces and educational organizations can only be countered by raising awareness about the problem, and the measures to deal with it. To achieve this goal, we must first acknowledge that sexual harassment is a serious offense and that it matters!

EDTechWorx has launched a series of Personal Grooming Modules (PGM). The first module is on ‘Countering Sexual Harassment’ aims to promote a culture of mutual respect and sensitivity about each other’s sexuality in shared spaces. It is designed to inculcate its viewers with an understanding of the basic concepts regarding Sexual Harassment. Read time: 60 to 90 mins.

MODULE CONTENT

• What is Sexual Harassment?
• How to Counter Sexual Harassment?
• Laws and Punishments
• Online MCQs based Assessment

A Glimpse from the Module

A rule for men to remember in the workplace/educational institute is to avoid shaking hands with female colleagues unless any female colleague initiates the handshake. This etiquette comes to us from Victorian times when handshakes were considered an important part of social interactions (Matthews, 2017). However, in the case of women, they had the prerogative to choose whether or not they would like to engage in a handshake when greeting a member of the opposite sex. If we can stick to this principle today, our lives at work/educational institutes can get simplified.