PESHAWAR – Rukhshanda Naz, a renowned human rights activist, has been made Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s first woman ombudsperson for dealing with the harassment cases at workplaces in the northern Pakistani province.
Naz has been given the post to stop harassment of women in public and private institutions, according to a notification issued by the Department of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment.
She will serve as the provincial ombudsperson for a three-year term.
Her appointment was confirmed during a provincial cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/kashmala-tariq-sworn-in-as-federal-ombudsperson-for-protection-against-harassment-of-women/
The KP government made the appointment under the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010. It is to check harassment of persons in public and private sector institutions.
Under Section 7 of the Act, the appointment of the federal and provincial ombudspersons has to be made by the relevant governments.
The PTI government made the appointment after the Peshawar High Court (PHC) decision, on September 21, 2017, directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to appoint within two months the provincial ombudsperson under the law.
The petition was filed by a non-governmental organisation, Da Hawwa Lur (Daughter of the Eve) through Chief Executive Khursheed Bano. The petitioner sought the court’s orders for the provincial government to make the appointment forthwith.
Since 2010, the provincial government despite the protests and demands of the civil society organizations had failed in the appointment of the provincial ombudsperson under the law to deal the growing cases of harassment at workplaces.
Rukhshanda Naz has done a master’s in Peace and Reconciliation Studies from Coventry University, UK, LLM in International Law from Coventry University, the UK and LLB from the Khyber Law College.
She remained provincial head of KP/Fata at UN Women Pakistan from September 2010 to November 2011.
Rukhshanda Naz also remained chief operating officer at the Aurat Publication and Information Service Foundation, Islamabad from February 2008 to October 2009.
She remained field officer for Afghanistan/Pakistan at International Human Rights Law Group from 2000 to 2002.
Rukhshanda Naz served as resident director, Aurat Publication and Information Service Foundation, Peshawar from 1993 to 2008.
She remained a consultant to Heinrich Böll Stiftung in 2018 and prepared policy paper on 5 percent women quota on general seats in Pakistan under the project “Making Gender Quota Meaningful”.
