“I worked at a
hostile workplace for five years. I could not afford to quit the job. However,
I kept complaining to my boss who was ironically guilty of catcalling himself”,
says Tehreem Muneeba, a Radio broadcaster based in Islamabad.
“I kept fighting
against the ‘hostile workplace’ for two long years and today, the court has
finally declared that the organisation was indeed a hostile space for women”,
says Tehreem, with a shine in her eyes that reflects the victory.
The Radio
broadcaster was harassed while at work in a studio at Samaa FM in 2018. She had
to quit her job after being subjected to harassment.
She filed a case
against the studio staffers for harassing and intimidating her in 2018 and following almost two years of prosecution,
the court decided in her favor on May 22 and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 each
on seven staff members.
Despite her regular
complaints, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Fahd Haroon never paid heed and when
another sexual advance was made by the accused on 21.08.2018, instead of
ordering a transparent inquiry, Fahad preferred to protect the harassers. “He
gave a false testimony negating my allegations and sided with the seven SAMAA
FM officials who had hurt me and because of whom I suffered a lot”, she
recalls.
Fahd Haroon is now
working as PM Imran Khan’s focal person on information analytics since March
2020 and also happens to be a member of the Pakistan Broadcasting Board (PBC).
Talking about her
plight that continued for two years, she says, “This incident destroyed my
career and I am jobless since September 2018.”
She is happy that
after these two hard years of legal, mental and financial struggle, justice is
finally served and the court has fined Rs100,000 each to all seven staffers who
had subjected her to harassment.
The Omudsperson not
only penalized the accused persons under section 4 (4) (ii)(e) of Protection
against Harassment of Women at Workplace the Act, 2010 but also directed them
to pay fine of Rs100,000 each as compensation to the complainant within 30 days
of passing of this order through the office of this forum without fail.
After she made the
allegations of sexual harassment, the Samaa management filed a defemation suit
worth Rs 500 million against her. She wonders what will become of it now that
her position has been vindicated.
“In a society, where
men at workplaces are usually making it difficult for women to earn their
livelihood, the judicial system was my last option and it didn’t let me die of
embarrassment,” she added.
I would like to say
this to all my female colleagues in the field, be alert and whenever such an
incident of harassment occurs do not be afraid, stand up and fight. Do not
quit. Search for legal options and special platforms for harassment of women at
workplace like Ombudsperson.
The women who stand
against fellow women fearing for their jobs should know that this fear only
encourages future harassers, she said.
Muneeba also claimed
that the Samaa FM management had deleted the CCTV footage which was the only
evidence of what happened in the FM studio rather than taking action.
Website: Naya daur
