\u201cI worked at a\nhostile workplace for five years. I could not afford to quit the job. However,\nI kept complaining to my boss who was ironically guilty of catcalling himself\u201d,\nsays Tehreem Muneeba, a Radio broadcaster based in Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI kept fighting\nagainst the \u2018hostile workplace\u2019 for two long years and today, the court has\nfinally declared that the organisation was indeed a hostile space for women\u201d,\nsays Tehreem, with a shine in her eyes that reflects the victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Radio\nbroadcaster was harassed while at work in a studio at Samaa FM in 2018. She had\nto quit her job after being subjected to harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She filed a case\nagainst the studio staffers for harassing and intimidating her in 2018 and following almost two years of prosecution,\nthe court decided in her favor on May 22 and imposed a fine of Rs100,000 each\non seven staff members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite her regular\ncomplaints, Chief Operating Officer (COO) Fahd Haroon never paid heed and when\nanother sexual advance was made by the accused on 21.08.2018, instead of\nordering a transparent inquiry, Fahad preferred to protect the harassers. \u201cHe\ngave a false testimony negating my allegations and sided with the seven SAMAA\nFM officials who had hurt me and because of whom I suffered a lot\u201d, she\nrecalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fahd Haroon is now\nworking as PM Imran Khan\u2019s focal person on information analytics since March\n2020 and also happens to be a member of the Pakistan Broadcasting Board (PBC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talking about her\nplight that continued for two years, she says, \u201cThis incident destroyed my\ncareer and I am jobless since September 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She is happy that\nafter these two hard years of legal, mental and financial struggle, justice is\nfinally served and the court has fined Rs100,000 each to all seven staffers who\nhad subjected her to harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Omudsperson not\nonly penalized the accused persons under section 4 (4) (ii)(e) of Protection\nagainst Harassment of Women at Workplace the Act, 2010 but also directed them\nto pay fine of Rs100,000 each as compensation to the complainant within 30 days\nof passing of this order through the office of this forum without fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After she made the\nallegations of sexual harassment, the Samaa management filed a defemation suit\nworth Rs 500 million against her. She wonders what will become of it now that\nher position has been vindicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn a society, where\nmen at workplaces are usually making it difficult for women to earn their\nlivelihood, the judicial system was my last option and it didn\u2019t let me die of\nembarrassment,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would like to say\nthis to all my female colleagues in the field, be alert and whenever such an\nincident of harassment occurs do not be afraid, stand up and fight. Do not\nquit. Search for legal options and special platforms for harassment of women at\nworkplace like Ombudsperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The women who stand\nagainst fellow women fearing for their jobs should know that this fear only\nencourages future harassers, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Muneeba also claimed\nthat the Samaa FM management had deleted the CCTV footage which was the only\nevidence of what happened in the FM studio rather than taking action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n