QUETTA: Fostering safe, respectful, and inclusive professional environments begins with open, candid dialogue. To advance this mission, the Regional Office of the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH), Quetta, conducted an interactive awareness session on workplace harassment at the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC).
The session aimed to break silences around workplace misconduct and provide attendees with a clear understanding of legal protections, reporting channels, and institutional redressal frameworks.
During the event, participants raised critical queries regarding complex real-world scenarios, including how complaints are evaluated when misconduct occurs behind closed doors without direct witnesses, and whether verbal abuse or offensive language legally constitutes harassment.
Addressing these concerns, the Assistant Law Officer from FOSPAH Regional Office Quetta clarified that harassment complaints do not rely solely on direct eyewitness testimony. Instead, cases undergo a structured inquiry process where circumstantial evidence, detailed statements, background context, and supporting documentation are comprehensively assessed. Furthermore, the officer emphasized that harassment extends beyond physical conduct, noting that inappropriate verbal, abusive, or hostile language can also fall within its legal scope depending on its nature and impact.
The high level of engagement throughout the discussion underscored a vital principle: organizations perform at their best when employees feel informed, supported, and empowered to voice their concerns without fear.
