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Introduction <p>Sexual harassment in higher education institutions (HEIs) remains a persistent challenge that undermines gender equity, academic freedom, and safe workplace environments. Although Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced policies to address sexual harassment, their effectiveness remains contested, particularly in conservative regional contexts. This study examines how female faculty members in public universities of Multan perceive and experience the implementation of HEC’s sexual harassment policy.</p> Methods <p>The study adopted a qualitative research design informed by a feminist institutionalist framework. Data were collected through seventy semi-structured interviews with female faculty members across seven public universities in Multan. The interviews were thematically analyzed to explore institutional practices, power relations, and policy implementation dynamics.</p> Results <p>The findings reveal four key issues: (1) sexual harassment policies are often implemented superficially, serving symbolic rather than protective functions; (2) awareness of policies is uneven, with visiting and contractual faculty being the least informed; (3) systemic barriers such as fear of retaliation, institutional silence, and lack of trust in inquiry committees discourage reporting; and (4) patriarchal organizational cultures reinforce gendered hierarchies that silence women and protect perpetrators.</p> Conclusions <p>The study reveals a significant disparity between the formal existence of sexual harassment policies and their actual implementation. The findings indicate that policy non-implementation is not merely the result of administrative neglect but is embedded in universities’ institutional governance structures. Academic hierarchies, reputation management concerns, and seniority-based authority shape how harassment complaints are interpreted, contained, or silenced. The study advances a mechanism-based explanation of policy non-implementation, showing how universities operate as epistemic hierarchies and reputation-driven institutional regimes in which symbolic compliance systematically constrains the substantive enforcement of harassment policies.</p> Policy Implications <p>The findings suggest the need for structural and cultural reforms within HEIs, including strengthening inquiry committees, enhancing leadership accountability, ensuring transparency in reporting processes, and expanding gender sensitization programs. These measures are essential for translating policy commitments into meaningful protection and for fostering safer and more equitable academic environments.</p>

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From Policy to Practice: Evaluating the Implementation of HEC’s Sexual Harassment Policy in Public Universities of South Punjab

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月22日

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  • Shahid Rafiq,
  • Ayesha Afzal

摘要

Introduction

Sexual harassment in higher education institutions (HEIs) remains a persistent challenge that undermines gender equity, academic freedom, and safe workplace environments. Although Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) has introduced policies to address sexual harassment, their effectiveness remains contested, particularly in conservative regional contexts. This study examines how female faculty members in public universities of Multan perceive and experience the implementation of HEC’s sexual harassment policy.

Methods

The study adopted a qualitative research design informed by a feminist institutionalist framework. Data were collected through seventy semi-structured interviews with female faculty members across seven public universities in Multan. The interviews were thematically analyzed to explore institutional practices, power relations, and policy implementation dynamics.

Results

The findings reveal four key issues: (1) sexual harassment policies are often implemented superficially, serving symbolic rather than protective functions; (2) awareness of policies is uneven, with visiting and contractual faculty being the least informed; (3) systemic barriers such as fear of retaliation, institutional silence, and lack of trust in inquiry committees discourage reporting; and (4) patriarchal organizational cultures reinforce gendered hierarchies that silence women and protect perpetrators.

Conclusions

The study reveals a significant disparity between the formal existence of sexual harassment policies and their actual implementation. The findings indicate that policy non-implementation is not merely the result of administrative neglect but is embedded in universities’ institutional governance structures. Academic hierarchies, reputation management concerns, and seniority-based authority shape how harassment complaints are interpreted, contained, or silenced. The study advances a mechanism-based explanation of policy non-implementation, showing how universities operate as epistemic hierarchies and reputation-driven institutional regimes in which symbolic compliance systematically constrains the substantive enforcement of harassment policies.

Policy Implications

The findings suggest the need for structural and cultural reforms within HEIs, including strengthening inquiry committees, enhancing leadership accountability, ensuring transparency in reporting processes, and expanding gender sensitization programs. These measures are essential for translating policy commitments into meaningful protection and for fostering safer and more equitable academic environments.