The Harassment of Women at the Workplace Amendment Bill 2022 has been passed by the National Assembly after being amended by the Senate, the Ministry of Human Rights said on Friday.
In a statement, the ministry said the bill was drafted to expedite workforce participation by women. It added the bill will eradicate voids in the protection against harassment law in the country.
The bill has broadened the law’s range to cover certain employments that were not mentioned in the existing legislature. It has also included protection from harassment to personnel engaged in both formal and informal types of work.
The amended bill will also clarify different kinds of harassment faced by people at the workplace.
The legislature is aimed at amending certain definitions given in the Act. These include defining the “complainant”, “employee and employer”, kinds of “harassment” and what can be considered as a “workplace”. These amended definitions will remove vagueness faced by plaintiffs. They also widen the extent of the workplace to include all possible categories and forms of work.
The Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill 2021 was approved by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Human Rights in December, 2021. The bill suggests harsher punishments on offenders and obligated courts to decide cases within the span of 90 days.
