The Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021 has been approved by Cabinet and will now be presented to the National Assembly for further acceptance and adoption, according to Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.
The bill, according to the minister aims to close loopholes in the original law, especially in relation to the concept of “workplace.”
“After approval from CCLC yesterday, cabinet gave approval to our bill The Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021 which seeks to close the gaps in the original law especially in relation to “workplace”. [We] will be laying it before NA now,” the minister wrote on Twitter.
After approval from CCLC, yesterday Cabinet gave approval to our bill The Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021 which seeks to close the gaps in the original law esp in relation to "workplace" . Will be laying it before NA now.
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) April 2, 2021
“The amendment is aimed to fill gaps and remove lacunae and anomalies in order provide protection [from different] forms of harassment at work without any gender discrimination,” reads the text of the Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021.
“Through this amendment law, the scope of the definitions of harassment, employees, and workers has been enhanced to provide protection to a wide array of employees workers in both the formal and informal sectors as well as to students/trainees, from all forms of harassment at work and in pursuit of studies/vocational training,” it added.