Harassment complaints fail for predictable reasons: the complainant reports verbally to a manager who does nothing, evidence is lost, and by the time anyone writes it down the trail has gone cold. The statute anticipates this and puts a formal route in place.
The governing law
The Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 is the principal statute, and it has been amended to broaden both the definition of harassment and the range of working relationships it covers — extending well beyond the classic office employee. Alongside it, the Pakistan Penal Code creates criminal liability for insulting a woman's modesty and related offences, and where the conduct happened online the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 applies.
Read together, the practical position is that a complainant usually has more than one forum available, and can pursue the internal route and a criminal complaint at the same time.
What every organisation must already have
- An Inquiry Committee, constituted in advance, including a woman among its members.
- The statutory Code of Conduct displayed at the workplace.
- A defined route for a complaint to reach the Committee without going through the person complained of.
An employer that has not constituted a Committee is in breach before any complaint is even made — and that failure is itself relevant if the matter later goes to the Ombudsperson.
Preserve the evidence first
Do this before you complain, and before anyone knows you intend to.
- Write a dated account of each incident — what was said or done, when, where, and who else was present. Contemporaneous notes carry real weight.
- Screenshot and export messages, emails and call logs, showing the sender and the timestamp. Do not delete anything, however unpleasant.
- Note witnesses, and take their contact details now rather than months later.
- Keep copies outside the employer's systems. Access to a work laptop or corporate email can disappear the day you complain.
- Keep your own employment documents — appointment letter, payslips, appraisals. Retaliation is easier to demonstrate against a documented record of good standing.
The complaint, and the inquiry
A complaint may be made to the Inquiry Committee, or directly to the Ombudsperson appointed under the Act. Put it in writing and keep proof of delivery.
The inquiry is meant to be prompt and to observe fair procedure on both sides: the accused is told what is alleged, both parties are heard, and findings are recorded. The Act contemplates protective measures while the inquiry runs — such as separating the parties or granting leave — so that a complainant is not forced to work alongside the person complained of.
On a finding of harassment, penalties range from minor — censure, withholding of promotion or increment — to major, including dismissal, demotion and fines, with compensation to the complainant. Appeals lie as the Act provides, and the Ombudsperson's decisions are themselves appealable.
Retaliation is a separate wrong
Being sidelined, transferred, stripped of duties or dismissed after complaining is not a coincidence to be endured. Record the change, the date, and what preceded it. Where you are within the scope of the labour statutes, a termination that follows a complaint may also be challenged as a wrongful termination — and there the time limits are short, so raise the grievance immediately rather than waiting for the harassment inquiry to finish.
For employers
Constitute the Committee, display the Code, train the people who will sit on it, and take every complaint through the formal process even when it looks minor or inconvenient. An organisation that handles a complaint properly and documents it is defensible. One that handled it “informally” and kept no record is not.
General information about Pakistani law, not advice on a specific complaint. The Act has been amended and the applicable forum depends on your working relationship and where the conduct occurred. Speak to an advocate early — particularly before resigning, which narrows your options considerably.