PESHAWAR, Dec 11: Participants in a workshop on Tuesday, urged upon the government to take positive steps for ending harassment to women at work places.

The workshop on the ‘Status of Women Employment in Public Sector Organisations’ was organized by the National Commission and was attended by human rights activists, women councillors, members of the commission, government officials and others. NWFP Information and Education Minister Imtiaz Hussain Gillani was the chief guest on the occasion.

The participants proposed that the society should be sensitised to end harassment in different organisations. It was also suggested that attention to be paid to increase literacy rate. Some of the people urged imparting religious education to end this social corruption.

They expressed concern over non-availability of any law or rule for checking the issue of harassment to women. It was proposed that either a law should be devised or clauses be incorporated in service rules to check this illegal practice. Launching of media campaigns was also proposed to change attitude of the people.

Speakers regretted over the non-implementation of five per cent women quota in government departments and demanded at least 25 per cent quota for women in public sector organisations. Women councillors flayed the policy makers, saying that they were not aware about the ground realities.

Shamim Qaiser Khan took exceptions to the assertions of some of the participants and said that although the government had reserved 33 per cent seats for women in the local government institutions, but still it had to treat them at par with men.

Imtiaz Gillani said the government was fully committed to the cause of women’s rights and as a first step it had reserved 33 per cent seats for them in local government system.

The workshop was also addressed by member of the commission, Bushra Gohar, Asmat Shahjehan, governor inspection team chairperson Ali Begum and Rukhsana Saleem Khan.

The Asian Development Bank had also given financial aid to the commission for a capacity building project to deal with the issue of women’s employment in public sector organisations.