The Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH) has formally declared that excessive CCTV surveillance of employees qualifies as workplace harassment. The ruling came after a female staff member of a private educational institute in Rawalpindi filed a complaint, accusing the institution’s chief executive officer of misusing surveillance systems to intimidate and harass her. Ombudsperson Fauzia Viquar, after reviewing the evidence, imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on the CEO and issued directives for workplace reforms. This decision establishes a legal precedent that monitoring practices must respect the boundaries of privacy and dignity in professional settings.
The complaint detailed how the employee was subjected to continuous observation through CCTV cameras, which created an atmosphere of fear and unease. Beyond general monitoring, there were incidents where CCTV images were directly sent to her, heightening the sense of targeted harassment. After investigating the matter, the ombudsperson concluded that the surveillance was unnecessary, discriminatory, and had fostered a hostile environment that undermined the complainant’s sense of security at work. Such practices, the ruling emphasized, fall within the legal definition of harassment, extending beyond physical or verbal misconduct to include any act that compromises dignity and mental well-being.
In response to the findings, FOSPAH ordered that the CEO pay compensation to the victim, alongside the monetary fine, and issued a formal censure against the institution’s leadership. The educational institute has also been directed to take corrective measures, including establishing a workplace inquiry committee and ensuring the public display of a code of conduct in both English and Urdu to safeguard employees’ rights. These directives are meant to ensure that workplaces comply with harassment protection laws while also fostering an environment where employees can perform without the fear of intrusive oversight or intimidation.
The ruling from FOSPAH serves as a significant reminder that harassment is not confined to overt misconduct such as inappropriate advances but also encompasses practices that erode privacy or instill fear among staff. By identifying excessive surveillance as harassment, the office has reinforced the principle that technology cannot be misused as a tool of control or coercion. Ombudsperson Fauzia Viquar underscored this point in her statement, highlighting that surveillance must not be weaponized against employees and that respect for dignity and privacy remains a fundamental workplace right. This interpretation broadens the scope of protection for workers across Pakistan, placing new responsibilities on employers to adopt fair and transparent monitoring practices.
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