Harassment Complaint Cell

SBK Women’s University intended to provide the safe and respectful environment for entire family of SBKWU. The Anti- Sexual Harassment Cell has been established to provide a healthy and congenial atmosphere to all the staff members and students.

• Higher Education Institutions (“HEIs”) are highly consequential institutions in society that are dedicated to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. Members of the HEI community have several important rights and privileges, central among which is the right to pursue inquiry and search for knowledge without hinderance from unlawful or otherwise unacceptable constraints. The Higher Education Commission (the “HEC”), which has been mandated by law to prescribe conditions under which HEIs in the country may be opened and operated, takes very seriously the freedom of teachers, researchers, scholars, students and other members of the HEI community to live and work in a safe environment in which their dignity is protected.
• Protection against sexual harassment is important not only because it threatens the freedom and conduciveness of the environment at institutions of higher learning. At a more fundamental level, such conduct is unacceptable because it violates personal dignity and shall not be tolerated at HEIs in Pakistan under any circumstance.
• In accordance with the terms of this policy, sexual harassment shall be prohibited at HEIs in Pakistan, and shall constitute a punishable offence under the policy. The HEC affirms the right of every member of the HEI community live, study and work in an environment that is free from sexual harassment. The goal of this policy is to prevent sexual harassment from taking place, and where necessary to act upon complaints of sexual harassment promptly, fairly, judiciously and with due regard to confidentiality for all parties concerned.
• All administrators, deans, managers, faculty, department chairs, directors of schools or programs and others in supervisory or leadership positions have an obligation to be familiar with and to uphold this policy and its procedures along with informing members of their staff about its existence. HEIs are encouraged to formulate internal policies that further strengthen or expand the protections available under the HEC’s policy on sexual harassment.
• This policy has been made pursuant to the powers granted to the HEC under the Higher Education Commission Ordinance, 2002, and is binding on all higher education institutions in the country, whether operating in the public or private sectors. Violations or failure to comply with the HEC’s policies may lead to regulatory action being taken against non-compliant HEIs.
• This policy is consistent with and has been made in light of the provisions of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 (as amended) (the “2010 Harassment Act”). It extends the protection against sexual harassment to all members of the HEI community, and provides the option to aggrieved persons to seek recourse to resources within the HEI or to seek redressal through the provisions of the 2010 Act.

If you feel that you are being harassed and need to report the matter, it can be done verbally (informal complaint) or in writing (formal complaint) simply by using any one of the following available routes/channels:-

• Harassment Complaint Cell
• University Authorities (Registrar/DEANS/HoD/)
• Via E-email to Harassment Complaint Cell (harassment-cell@sbkwu.edu.pk)