The latest figures released by the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) warrant attention for reasons that extend beyond statistics. They challenge a long-standing assumption in Pakistan's public discourse that workplace harassment is exclusively a women's issue.
While women continue to face disproportionately high levels of harassment and discrimination, the latest data suggest that a significant number of men also experience abuse at work and are increasingly willing to report it.
According to a news report, FOSPAH received 1,290 workplace harassment complaints over the past year. Of these, 769 were filed by women, accounting for nearly 60% of the total, while 521 complaints, or roughly 40%, were submitted by men.
These figures should not be viewed as a competition between genders. Instead, they underscore a broader reality: harassment is defined by unacceptable conduct, not by the identity of the victim.
The increase in complaints filed by men reflects a gradual shift in public attitudes. For years, many male victims remained silent because admitting victimisation often invited ridicule rather than support. Social expectations surrounding masculinity discouraged reporting, leaving many cases absent from official records.
The growing willingness of men to seek legal remedies suggests that some of these barriers are beginning to weaken.
However, the legal framework has not evolved at the same pace. Pakistan's principal workplace harassment law -- the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, as amended in 2022 -- primarily protects women. Although transgender persons are protected under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, concerns remain about the effective implementation of that legislation.
As matters stand, there is no comprehensive law that explicitly protects men from workplace harassment, leaving a significant gap in legal protection.
FOSPAH's awareness campaigns have likely contributed to greater public confidence in reporting workplace misconduct. However, meaningful progress will require addressing the persistent stigma that continues to discourage many victims, particularly men, from coming forward. Institutional mechanisms can only be effective if those who need them feel able to use them without fear of ridicule or prejudice.
Public understanding of workplace harassment also remains limited. It is often reduced to sexual harassment against women, whereas the concept is considerably broader.
Workplace harassment includes any unwelcome conduct that creates an intimidating, humiliating, degrading, or hostile working environment. Verbal abuse, bullying, discrimination, intimidation, abuse of authority, retaliatory conduct, punitive workloads, and repeated humiliation may all constitute workplace harassment, depending on the circumstances.
Pakistan's constitutional framework supports this broader understanding. Article 14 guarantees the dignity of every individual and declares that "the dignity of man and, subject to law, the privacy of home, shall be inviolable." These constitutional protections are universal and are not confined to any particular gender.
International labour standards reinforce the same principle. The International Labour Organization's Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (Convention No. 190), defines violence and harassment in the world of work as a range of unacceptable behaviours and practices capable of causing physical, psychological, sexual, or economic harm. The Convention affirms that every worker has the right to a workplace free from violence and harassment.
The problem manifests itself differently across sectors. In the private sector, particularly in sales and marketing roles driven by aggressive performance targets, employees may encounter coercive management practices, public humiliation, threats of dismissal, or pressure to satisfy unreasonable client demands simply to retain their jobs. Professional boundaries may become blurred when workers feel compelled to attend private social engagements or entertain clients under implicit threats to their employment. Where consent is shaped by fear rather than genuine choice, such practices warrant serious scrutiny.
Comparable concerns have also been reported within public institutions. Employees have alleged the misuse of official authority, unjustified overtime, compulsory work on public holidays, intimidation, retaliatory transfers to far areas, and pressure to comply with unreasonable directives. When authority is exercised to create fear, compel obedience, or punish dissent, the workplace ceases to be a professional environment and instead becomes one characterised by coercion.
These realities demonstrate why workplace harassment cannot be viewed solely through the narrow lens of sexual misconduct. Any conduct that undermines a worker's dignity, creates fear, or interferes with the ability to perform professional responsibilities deserves serious attention.
Pakistan's international human rights commitments further reinforce this obligation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights both emphasise dignity, equality, personal security, and protection from degrading treatment. Safe and respectful workplaces are therefore not merely matters of organisational policy but fundamental human rights obligations.
The latest FOSPAH figures should be viewed as evidence of a changing social landscape. More victims appear willing to place their trust in institutional mechanisms and challenge long-standing stereotypes surrounding workplace harassment. That is a welcome development.
At the same time, awareness efforts must continue to evolve. Public campaigns should continue addressing the serious challenges faced by women while also recognising that men can experience workplace harassment. Employers, policymakers, labour organisations, and FOSPAH should ensure that workplace policies, training programmes, and awareness initiatives communicate a simple but essential principle: protection from harassment belongs to every employee.
Recognising the experiences of male victims does not diminish the importance of protecting women. On the contrary, it reinforces the principle that dignity and equality are universal rights. A workplace free from intimidation, humiliation, and abuse can only be achieved when legal protections, institutional mechanisms, and workplace culture safeguard every worker, irrespective of gender.
The writer is a student of international relations with a strong interest in international politics, diplomacy, and international law.
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