President calls for increasing awareness against harassment

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has appreciated the role of Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) in the provision of speedy and cheaper justice to the people.

President Alvi was talking to Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment (FOSPAH) Kashmala Tariq who briefed him about the role in creating a harassment-free working environment.

She informed the President that her institution provided speedy justice and 93 percent of registered cases had been disposed of. She said that the Ombudsman had created awareness by holding seminars and press conferences and as a result, there has been an increase in the number of cases.

She remarked that women represented over 50 percent of Pakistan’s population and needed to be provided safe working environment.

President Arif Alvi appreciated FOSPAH’s role in the provision of speedy and cheaper justice to the people. He said that the institution needed to be further strengthened so that speedy justice could be provided to the people.

He underscored the need for initiating awareness campaigns through print and digital media so as to sensitize the people about the role of Ombudsman in quick redressal of their complaints.

It is worth stating that FOSPAH is an autonomous quasi-judicial statutory body working for protection against harassment at the workplace and aims to create a harassment-free working environment.

Recently, the government has empowered FOSPAH under “Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act, 2020” to decide cases related to the inheritance of women.