The Office of Students’ Advisor of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) in collaboration with the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH) arranged an awareness seminar on women’s property rights and protection against harassment at workplace on Tuesday.
Speaking during the seminar, the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, Fauzia Viqar said that these are high times when contribution of working women must be increased to stabilize the country’s economy.
She mentioned that a large number of the females face harassment either sexual or workplace that needs to be addressed on the immediate basis. Calling upon the educated females she said that it is their responsibility to explore their property rights and raise voice on their prerogatives that are legitimate and defined.
She observed that to ensure the implementation of laws related to harassment, it is important that the affected people should raise their voices against this nuisance. She advised that people who are around the victim and have proper information related to harassment matters should also raise their voices to prevent such incidents.
The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace also discussed gender based harassment as well as she defined and elaborated the procedures to counter such harassment through relevant channels. In the question answer session she also spoke about the privacy of the complainant and role of FOSPAH in establishing a public perception and requisite information about the women’s property rights. She also lauded IIUI for appointing the first female Rector in its history adding that this was a positive gesture and an omen of the positive role of educational institutions in providing equal platform to women to excel in society.
Speaking on the occasion, the IIUI Rector, Prof. Dr. Samina Malik thanked Ms. Fauzia Viqar for an insightful and awareness based discussion on the vital issue of women’s property rights. She called upon the educational institutions and educated females of higher education to play a positive role in protecting the rights of women and to help the institutions working for the harassment against women. She also apprised the FOSPAH team and the participants that IIUI is the institution where female students have outnumbered the male students and the university has specifically dedicated a separate campus to females to acquire quality education.
The seminar was also attended by Vice President, Research & Enterprise, IIUI, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, Director Female Campus Dr. Summiyya Chughtai, Students Advisors female Dr. Sadia Saleem, faculty members and a large number of female students.
The seminar served as a platform for fruitful discussions, shedding light on the significance of establishing safe and respectful work environments for all individuals. Participants engaged in dialogue, exchanging best practices, and exploring strategies to effectively address and prevent workplace harassment, emphasizing the dignity of women.