Description

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), a right based NGO filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to the High Court for the protection of women and children from sexual harassment at the workplace and at the educational institutions. 

The Court defined "sexual harassment" and formulated 11 guidelines, based on constitutional provisions (Articles 19(1), 26, 29, and 31), international instruments, and foreign case law. The Court emphasized that gender equality, as enshrined in the Constitution, includes the prevention of sexual harassment, drawing on international law such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and General Recommendation No. 19 by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

The guidelines covered the definition of sexual harassment, public awareness measures, complaints procedures, and punishments, affirming that protection from sexual harassment is a fundamental human right.