Islamabad ‘:
The Supreme Court has called on the federal government to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) Violence and harassment Convention No. 190, the first ever binding international treaty explicitly aimed to eliminate harassment and violence at work.
In a sentence of nine-sides, justice noted Syed Mansoor Ali Shah that the move would strengthen Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees of dignity, gender equality and non-differential treatment, strengthen legal protections for workers-Ice-I-Issky women and marginalized groups and signal Human Rights Standards.
The decision was handed down in a case of a male worker who was awarded mandatory retirement as punishment for harassment in the workplace.
“Pakistan’s obligation to eliminate harassment in the workplace requires stronger adaptation to an international legal framework. While the law and amendment law in 2010 provide the basis for protecting workers from harassment, the country has not yet ratified ILO -Vold and harassment -Convention, which sets a comprehensive global Global Standard to prevent and address harassment at work, ensure legal accountability and promote a culture of dignity and Respect, ”the decision states.
A division bench of the point of point, led by justice Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi, also ordered a copy of the verdict to be sent to the lawyer for Pakistan for the treatment of the ratification of ILO -Vold and harassment convention.
The judgment defines harassment in the workplace as: “A number of unacceptable behavior and practice or threats thereof, whether a single occurrence or repeated, it aims, results in or is likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or financial harm, and include gender -based violence and harassment.
The court emphasized that harassment in the workplace remains an urgent global issue affecting millions of workers across different sectors. According to global statistics, more than one in five workers (22.8% or 743 million people) has experienced some form of work in the workplace or harassment.
The verdict noted that women were a little more likely than men to have been harassed over their careers. Harassment in the workplace is not only an individual complaint as it is a systemic problem that pays gender inequality by limiting women’s economic and professional growth.
According to Global Gender Gap Index (2024), Pakistan ranks 145. Out of 146 countries, making it the second lowest in the world.
“With regard to financial participation, it ranks 142., which reflects an worsening situation for women in the workforce. These alarming statistics emphasize the sustained challenges facing women in professional environment, especially in countries with significant gender differences such as Pakistan.”
The court noted that the occurrence of harassment in the workplace not only affects individual well -being, but also strengthens systemic inequality between the sexes, limiting women’s participation in the workforce and expanded economic gaps.
The court noted that harassment in the workplace and sexual harassment is deeply interconnected, both stem from power balances, systemic discrimination and anchored societal norms that strengthen gender hierarchies.
