KARACHI, 23 December 2002 — Every Pakistani woman faces harassment on account of her sex once she steps out of her house, be it for working, studying or shopping. Dr. Fauzia Saeed of Alliance Against Sexual Harassment (AASH) said this at an award-giving ceremony organized jointly by WEBCOP (Workers-Employees Bilateral Council of Pakistan) and AASH at the Pearl Continental Hotel here recently.
Awards were given to ten companies chosen for maintaining gender justice in their organizations. They were chosen from among 150 entries.
Several speakers, including writer Haseena Moin, television actress and director Saira Kazmi and television actress Madeeha Gohar highlighted the problems being faced by women.
Madeeha Gohar told the audience that in Pakistan the issue of harassment of women has not been given due attention. “It is more common and widespread than other crimes, yet people speak about rape and murder which are comparatively rare. I remember being stared at and pushed as I rode buses and wagons in the beginning of my career when I could not afford a car. Obscene comments were hurled at me.
Haseena Moin said that she had always tried to highlight women’s problems in her plays. “Unfortunately the harassment of a woman starts from the time she is in the womb.
The thought of bearing a girl child upsets the mother. Once the child grows up and begins her practical life, she is harassed by her colleagues and superiors. A girl doing a job usually does not say anything because she is in need of the job. Most family members tend to blame the girl for taking up the job in the first place.
It is a common thing in our society and can only be brought to an end with better laws and education.
Saira Kazmi said that the media was scared to highlight women’s problems. “Every thing in the media has become commercialized. I always appreciated Haseena Moin’s characters. Her girls were good fighters. But we need to do more.”
Ahsanullah Khan of WEBCOP said his organization along with AASH had worked on a code of conduct for maintaining gender parity at workplaces. They had received good response from the government and were hopeful that very soon the code of conduct would become mandatory for all organizations.
An interesting half-an-hour movie was also shown to the audience that highlighted three situations in which women were harassed by their bosses and colleagues. The film was directed by Mohammad Wasim and was used by AASH in its workshops to educate women on harassment. Afshan Ahmed and Musaddaq entertained the audience with their songs. Poetess Fahmida Riaz recited a poem, paying tributes to women.
The award winners included: ICI, Glaxo, Hamdard Laboratories, Marriott Hotel, J&P Coat, First Women’s Bank, Qasim International Container Terminal, Rechitt and Benchiser.
