ISLAMABAD, July 7: Inordinate delay by the ministry of women development to convene a national consultation is hampering the promulgation of Code of Practice for Gender Justice at the Workplace to curb sexual harassment.

Sources said the national consultation was scheduled to be held during the first week of July. The code had been endorsed by all the provinces after provincial consultations.

These consultations were attended by the representatives from the federal ministries of labour and women development and their counterparts in provincial departments, CSOs and trade unions.

Sources said the initiative for enforcing the code to curb sexual harassment at workplace was initiated by the ministry during December 2001.

The code defines sexual harassment as "any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature when it interferes with work performance, or is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment."

After the provincial and the national consultations, the code for gender justice would be presented to the cabinet for approval.

The government's regulations for its employees, the Civil Establishment Code includes misconduct of employees as an offence. However, it does not address harassment, specifically the relationships between the supervisors and their staff.

Realizing the complex dynamics of harassment at work and the high frequency of the problem, suggestions are under- consideration to elaborate on the existing regulations in the code and fill the vacuum in the existing policies.

The code is based on the principles of equal opportunity for men and women and their right to earn a livelihood without fear of abuse and harassment. It reflects the provisions of the Constitution 1973 where non-discrimination on the basis of gender in public and workplaces is mentioned.

Once approved by the cabinet, sources said, the code would be applicable to government employees, private sector organizations including those in the Export Processing Zones, educational institutions, CSOs and all employees of such organizations and institutions.

The management of the organizations would be required to incorporate the code of practice as part of their workplace policy.