UN Women, Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ink accord to fight sexual harassment at workplaces

[Press Release]

Deputy Country Representative UN Women Pakistan and Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rukhshanda Naz sign the MoU. Photo UN Women/Habib Asgher

Islamabad, Pakistan — UN Women Pakistan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of Ombudsperson Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for protection against sexual harassment of women at the workplace. Aisha Mukhtar, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan, and Rukhshanda Naz, first Ombudsperson of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, signed the MoU.

Under this MoU, database for reported cases will be supported to assess the trends of sexual harassment at the workplace along with capacity building of inquiry committees to deal with cases of sexual harassment. UN Women and Office of Ombudsperson KP will also collaborate for raising public awareness on sexual harassment laws and compliance requirements. The signatories have agreed to form working groups which will be responsible for monitoring the development and execution of agreed activities.

At the signing ceremony, Rukhshanda Naz stated, “Now that the office of Ombudsperson is active, we would like to emphasis the execution and smooth implementation of the Workplace Harassment Law so that the environment is safe for women to reach their full potential and contribute to the economy.”

Aisha Mukhtar welcomed appointment of Rukhshanda Naz as the first Ombudsperson for KP and reiterated UN Women’s commitment towards strengthening institutions and mechanisms for preventing and addressing sexual harassment at workplace. “Women have a legal right to a safe working environment, which is free of sexual harassment and Office of Ombudsperson has a crucial role to play in ensuring effective implementation of sexual harassment laws.”