Earlier this year, a sexual harassment incident was reported in the National Assembly’s secretariat, when an assistant director at the international relations department claimed that she had been consistently asked for sexual favors by her director general Waseem Iqbal Chaudhry, since 2014. The Criminal Penal Code’s section 509 and the Women Protection Act 2010 are the only laws viable against sexual harassment across the country. Sexual harassment in public spaces was declared a criminal offense, which was lauded by working women. The present laws on the sexual harassment are embodied with all aspects and can dispense instant justice. In Pakistan, the criminal justice system is marred by institutional challenges which make it difficult to address the sexual harassment aspect of criminal law.

Source: Pakistan Today April 25, 2019 18:22 UTC