WORKPLACE harassment is a serious issue; its damaging effects extend far beyond the victim, impacting businesses and society at large. Unfortunately, many organisations fail to recognise that preventing or stopping workplace harassment, particularly through proper inquiry committees, can lead to a safer, more productive work environment. Instead, businesses continue to delude themselves, thinking that cases will remain buried if there are no reporting channels and proper inquiry committees do not exist.

It is necessary for organisations to comply with workplace harassment laws and establish inquiry committees as mandated by the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, and its 2022 amendment.

While victims bear the heaviest toll — anxiety, economic loss, and lasting damage to their confidence and careers — organisations face an equally steep price: harassment at the workplace leads to lower morale, reduced performance, and high turnover, costing companies not only in legal fees and lost productivity, but also in reputation, and leading to an inability to retain qualified employees.

Data suggests that about 93 per cent of working women in Pakistan face workplace harassment (according to the Alliance Against Sexual Harassment). The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025 ranks Pakistan last (148th) in overall gender parity, with a score of 56.7 per cent. The country ranked at the bottom five of the ‘Economic Participation and Opportunity’ sub-index at 34.7pc. Gender parity in this category dropped by 1.3 points in 2026 from 2025 levels.

Preventing harassment at work is a legal obligation.

Any organisation that fails to constitute a functioning inquiry committee under the workplace harassment law is contributing to that 148th ranking.

A report published by the Free and Fair Election Network in January revealed that just “17, or 4pc, of 39 federal government divisions operating under 34 ministries have notified the composition of their inquiry committees for protection against harassment at the workplace on their official websites, while the remaining 22 divisions, or 53pc, have not made this information publicly available online”.

Maintaining a harassment-free workplace is a legal obligation. Section 3 of the anti-harassment law mandates that all organisations must create a three-member inquiry committee. At least one member should be a woman. Organisations that fail to do so are both negligent and in breach of the law.

Complaints made to the committees are confidential as per the law. This is a critical safeguard that protects the complainant from stigma and retaliation, while protecting the accused’s right to defend him or herself. Without a formal committee, complainants have nowhere to turn to for justice.

An active, well-functioning committee serves as the organisation’s first line of justice and prevents matters from becoming public legal disputes that damage its reputation.

The aim of this law is to create a safe working environment where employees can avail their right to work with dignity, without having to contend with harassment, abuse and intimidation. In fact, an inquiry committee is a public declaration that an organisation takes the dignity of its employees seriously. This matters for talent retention, employee morale, and the organisation’s standing.

Yet, organisations fail to fulfil their legal obligations, creating difficulties for the victim who is forced to navigate the justice system in a vulnerable state. However, businesses must not think that establishing committees is enough. They must do more; they must accept that workplace harassment is wrong. They must truly believe that a safe working environment is the right of every individual.

Therefore, businesses must empower their workforce through constant capacity-building training regarding their rights and inquiry committee processes. This includes empowering the workforce to understand how they can approach the committee to register their complaint. Further, businesses must place posters on their premises detailing what workplace harassment is and what the rights of employees are. There must be no tolerance for workplace harassment.

More importantly, Section 11 (3) provides that if an employer fails to comply with workplace harassment laws (including the non-establishment of inquiry committees), any employee can file a petition before the district court. If the organisation is found guilty, they “shall be liable to a fine which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees but shall not be less than twenty-five thousand rupees”. Hence, organisations must realise that proving a harassment-free environment is beneficial to all: the employers, the employee and society at large.

The writer is a barrister of Lincoln’s Inn and an advocate of the high courts of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2026