Pakistan’s medical, dental colleges to set up anti-harassment committees

ISLAMABAD: All public and private medical and dental colleges have been directed to establish anti-harassment committees on campus to prevent and address harassment complaints.

As per the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) directives, all medical and dental colleges nationwide will form dedicated committees, focusing on handling complaints related to harassment, raising awareness about respectful conduct, and implementing measures to prevent harassment.

The decision was taken to ensure a safer and more respectful environment for students, faculty, and staff within medical and dental institutions across the country

In a statement, PM&DC President Prof. Dr. Rizwan Taj stated that the committees will be responsible for investigating complaints of harassment and producing their findings within 10 days.

“These anti-harassment committees will play an essential role in promoting accountability, strengthening preventive measures, and encouraging individuals to report any cases of harassment without fear,” Dr. Taj said.

He emphasized that “workplace harassment goes beyond sexual harassment and demands for favors; it encompasses a wide range of discrimination and mistreatment, including gender-based discrimination that undermines professional abilities, verbal harassment, like offensive language, insults, and rumor-spreading.”

“Other types of harassment including physical intimidation or unwanted contact,  psychological harassment through bullying, criticism, exclusion, ethnic, and disability-based discrimination, often involving slurs and stereotypes, age-related and religious harassment, involving derogatory comments or exclusion and abuse of authority, with unrealistic expectations or public humiliation,” he added.

Dr. Rizwan said that these types of harassment create a toxic work environment, impacting mental health and productivity. “The biggest harassment is the punishment for reporting these types of issues or opposing unethical practices.”