Federal Ombudsperson Ms. Fauzia Viqar Calls for Stronger Financing and Accountability to Deliver Protection Against Harassment

Federal Ombudsperson Ms. Fauzia Viqar Calls for Stronger Financing and Accountability to Deliver Protection Against Harassment

Protection against harassment is only as strong as the institutions that deliver it, and the resources and accountability that stand behind them. Pakistan has built an important legal foundation, and the question now is how effectively it translates into everyday experience. This was the heart of the discussion at the national launch of the Safeguarding and Addressing GBV Financing Study, organised by the Women Parliamentary Caucus and RSH Pakistan at Islamabad Marriott on 13 October. Ms. Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH), chaired the policy dialogue on financing, accountability and institutional response, alongside Ms. Rashida Dohad, Ms. Aabia Akram and Ms. Waiza Rafiq, moderated by Mr. Iftikhar Khan. The session posed some thoughtful questions on why gender-responsive budgeting matters, how it strengthens institutions in addressing harassment and how it is mapped in Pakistan. The Federal Ombudsperson , Ms. Fauzia Viqar responded to each, that when resources are aligned with institutional responsibilities, it becomes easier to assess whether protection is being effectively delivered in practice. She also encouraged greater public trust in existing institutions and more active public engagement with them and the wider system, as accountability is a shared effort.