According to Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), 80% of the country’s universities have failed to comply with regulations established to prevent sexual harassment of students. Only 35 of the country’s 145 universities have implemented the policies and procedures issued in the 2011 Policy Guidelines against Sexual Harassment in Institutions of Higher Learning. Until they have done so, the HEC announced that all non-compliant universities will receive no further government funding and assistance.
Most cases of harassment in Pakistan’s universities involve male lecturers coercing female students into sex in exchange for grades.
According to former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, “harassment is one of the biggest hurdles faced by working women, preventing many who want to work to get themselves and their families out of poverty.”
In 2010, Pakistan’s government passed the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, protecting women’s rights to equality and a workplace free of harassment. As stated in this bill, all employers must implement the Code of Conduct in the workplace and also develop a mechanism for handling complaints and ensuring a safe work environment. The Policy Guidelines issued by the HEC in 2011 extend these protections to university students as well as staff.
Within Pakistan, conditions make it difficult for cases of harassment to be adequately handled on university campuses. To begin with, women fear coming forward to report incidents due to the threat of social stigmatization. With the national media publicizing reported cases of harassment, both the involved teachers and students face extensive public scrutiny. With their reputation under attack, these students and teachers often choose to leave their university before authorities have fully investigated their claims. Furthermore, many cases conclude with the harassers receiving no punishment or disciplinary action for their inappropriate behavior.
Sexual harassment within an educational setting continues to be a serious problem for many developing countries like Pakistan. As a consequence of these abuses, many girls and women withdraw from school rather than face the risk of harassment, while others refrain from participating fully in their classes in order to avoid unwanted male attention. This threat of harassment and abuse is ever present for many girls and women around the world, preventing them from receiving equal access to education.
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Written by Amanda Lubit