ISLAMABAD (Zeeshan Yousafzai) – The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace has imposed a Rs500,000 fine on an employee for subjecting a female colleague to an online campaign of gender-based harassment, ruling that the conduct violated the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act and created a hostile working environment.
According to the Ombudsperson's order, the accused carried out a sustained online campaign against the complainant, posting multiple derogatory messages aimed at ridiculing and humiliating her amid workplace rivalry. The accused also fabricated a fictitious book title, authorship and publishing details to mock the complainant and repeatedly targeted her personal inability to bear children by associating her with the transgender community in a derogatory manner.
The order held that while ethnic or linguistic references alone do not necessarily constitute workplace harassment, the accused deliberately used gender-based and demeaning language against an identifiable workplace rival, demonstrating the discriminatory conduct prohibited under Section 2(h) of the law.
The Ombudsperson further observed that using terms associated with transgender identity as insults not only demeans the targeted individual but also reinforces harmful stereotypes against one of society's most vulnerable and historically marginalised communities, adding that such conduct has no place in a professional workplace.
The ruling noted that the harassment undermined the complainant's dignity, confidence and autonomy, creating an offensive and hostile work environment. It further emphasised that discriminatory behaviour directed at women in visible or leadership positions extends beyond the individual victim, discouraging women's participation in leadership and decision-making roles.
Exercising powers under Section 4(4)(ii)(e) of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, the Federal Ombudsperson imposed a fine of Rs500,000 on the accused. Of the total amount, Rs400,000 will be paid to the complainant as compensation for the humiliation and harm caused to her dignity, while the remaining Rs100,000 will be deposited into the national exchequer.