Every organisation in Pakistan — public or private, large or small — is legally required to protect its women employees from harassment. The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 (amended in 2022) gives every working woman a clear, enforceable complaint procedure: an internal inquiry committee, a government ombudsman, defined timelines, and real penalties. Yet most women who face harassment never use it — often because they do not know it exists.
This guide explains what the law covers, exactly how to file a complaint, what your employer is legally bound to do, and what happens to harassers who are found guilty.
What the Law Covers
The 2010 Act defines sexual harassment broadly. It includes:
- Unwelcome sexual advances and requests for sexual favours.
- Verbal or written communication of a sexual nature — including messages, emails and comments.
- Physical conduct of a sexual nature, including unwanted touching.
- Sexually demeaning attitudes that interfere with work performance or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
- Abuse of authority — making submission to such conduct a condition of employment, promotion, or any employment decision, or punishing a woman for refusing.
- Retaliation against a complainant for filing a complaint.
The 2022 amendments strengthened the law further, expanding its scope and clarifying procedures. The Pakistan Penal Code reinforces it: Section 509 PPC punishes harassment intended to insult a woman’s modesty with imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to Rs. 500,000, or both.
What Your Employer MUST Do (It’s the Law, Not a Favour)
Section 11 of the Act places hard obligations on every employer. Many organisations ignore them — which is itself actionable:
- Display the Code of Conduct — the legally prescribed code on workplace harassment must be displayed at a conspicuous place in the organisation.
- Constitute a 3-member Inquiry Committee — mandatory for every organisation, including small businesses and startups. At least one member must be a woman.
- Include the code in employment contracts and ensure employees know the complaint procedure.
- Facilitate, never obstruct — supervisors are legally obligated to facilitate the inquiry process and must not cover up or obstruct it.
- Protect against retaliation — the employer must monitor the complainant’s work evaluation, duties and reporting structure during the inquiry to prevent retaliation from either side.
- Separate the parties during inquiry — the employer should make temporary adjustments (changed seating, adjusted duties, leave for the accused if needed) so the complainant and accused do not have to interact during the investigation.
If an employer fails to constitute the committee or display the code, an employee can file a petition before the district court — and a guilty employer faces a fine of Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 100,000.
How To File a Complaint: Step by Step
Step 1 — Write it down. Submit a written complaint to any member of your organisation’s Inquiry Committee, identifying the harasser and describing the incident(s) with dates, places and any witnesses. Keep a copy with a received stamp or email record.
Step 2 — The Committee acts within days. The Committee must inform the accused within 3 days of receiving the complaint. The accused has 7 days to submit a written response. If he fails to respond, the Committee decides the matter without him.
Step 3 — Inquiry within 30 days. The Committee has 30 days from filing to complete its inquiry, giving both sides a hearing and examining evidence. You may be assisted by any person you trust during the proceedings.
Step 4 — Findings and recommendations. The Committee submits a report with findings. If harassment is proved, it recommends penalties ranging from a formal censure to dismissal from service, depending on gravity.
Alternative route — go straight to the Ombudsman. You are not required to use the internal committee first. A complaint can be filed directly with the Ombudsman — the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (FOSPAH), or the provincial ombudsperson. This route is vital where the internal committee seems biased, the harasser is senior, or the employer has no committee at all. The Ombudsman’s inquiry follows the same timelines.
Step 5 — Appeal. If either party is dissatisfied with the Ombudsman’s decision, a representation can be filed within 30 days to the President of Pakistan (federal cases) or the Governor (provincial cases).
Penalties for Harassers
The Act provides a graduated scale. Minor penalties: censure, withholding of promotion or increment for a specified period. Major penalties: reduction to a lower post, compulsory retirement, removal from service, or dismissal. Where the conduct also constitutes a PPC offence (Section 509 or others), criminal prosecution runs in parallel — up to three years’ imprisonment and heavy fines.
False complaints made in bad faith can also attract penalties — but the law is explicit that a complaint that is not proved is not automatically “false.” The distinction protects genuine complainants from being punished for coming forward.
Protecting Yourself: Evidence and Timing
- Report early, but late is not fatal. The law strongly recommends reporting offensive behaviour immediately to someone you trust — harassment usually happens when colleagues are alone, making evidence hard to produce. But delayed reporting does not affect the merits of your case.
- Preserve everything: screenshots of messages with timestamps, emails, call logs, CCTV requests in writing, names of witnesses. Contemporaneous notes (a dated diary entry) carry real weight.
- Tell someone you trust now, even if you are not ready to file formally. A witness to whom you confided at the time strengthens the case enormously.
- Medical and psychological records documenting anxiety, sleep disturbance or depression following the harassment support both the complaint and any compensation claim.
Special Situations
Domestic workers and informal workplaces
The 2022 amendments extended protections to a wider range of workplaces. Women in informal employment — domestic workers, home-based workers, agricultural workers — have historically fallen through the cracks of enforcement. If no internal committee exists (as is typical in informal work), the Ombudsman route is the primary remedy: file directly with the provincial ombudsperson or FOSPAH.
Students and trainees
Educational institutions and training bodies fall within the Act’s ambit. Harassment by teachers, supervisors or fellow trainees can be taken through the institution’s committee or the Ombudsman.
Online and remote work
Harassment over workplace chat tools, email, video calls and social media is fully covered — “workplace” includes the digital spaces where work happens. Preserve message evidence exactly as you would for in-person incidents.
Fear of retaliation
Retaliation for filing a complaint is itself a violation the law punishes. During the inquiry, the employer must actively monitor your evaluations, duties and reporting lines for retaliatory changes. If retaliation occurs, report it immediately to the Committee or Ombudsman as a fresh violation.
Where To Get Help
- FOSPAH (Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace) — accepts complaints directly, including online.
- Provincial Ombudspersons (Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan) — the equivalent route within each province.
- 1043 — Punjab Women’s Helpline (24/7): workplace harassment is explicitly among the complaints it handles, with legal advisors on the team.
- 1099 — Ministry of Human Rights national helpline: free legal advice and referral.
- District courts — petitions against non-compliant employers.
The law has existed since 2010 and was strengthened in 2022. The committees, the ombudsmen, the timelines and the penalties are all real and operational. The missing piece in most workplaces is not the law — it is the awareness that it exists and the courage to use it. Every complaint filed makes the next one easier.
