LAHORE: The Information Technology University’s (ITU’s) Centre for Governance and Policy recommended on Wednesday all educational institutions comply with anti-harassment laws in letter and spirit.
The centre launched a study on ‘Harassment in Educational Institutions in Pakistan’, whichtraced the development of the recent interest in harassment at educational institutions in the wake of the global ‘Me Too’ movement, and the peculiar situation created by the Covid-19 pandemic which moved everything online, making it easy for many to discuss their trauma, find camaraderie, and demand action.
It argued that the section 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, and the 2011 HEC Policy Guideline Against Sexual Harassment are good but have failed in two important respects, first, the laws and guidelines are silent on age specific provisions and protection of children against harassment and secondly, despite pr