Sexual harassment case

Concerning M. S. v. Denmark for violation of articles 1, 2, 3, 5, 12 and 16 of CEDAW.

The author claims that she has always been subjected to discrimination as a Christian in Pakistan and that, when she became a young woman, this discrimination turned into sexual harassment. When she was about 16 years old, a Muslim man named A. G. asked her to date him just to have a sexual relationships. When the author refused, he threatened her.

The author got married and the threats continued. When the author was pregnant, because of the stress, she delivered two months before her due date. A. G. threatened to kidnap the author’s baby (a girl) from the hospital.

The author and her family were granted tourist visas for Denmark on the basis of an invitation from the author’s sister. They sought asylum in Denmark, however, the Immigration Service rejected the author’s application and the Refugee Board upheld that decision.

A complaint was sent to The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women but they declared the communication inadmissible because the author provided no clear or specific information about her family’s decision to move to another location in Pakistan in an attempt to avoid harassment by A. G. She also fails to explain how A. G. was able to obtain her sister’s telephone number in Denmark and thereby to continue harassing and threatening her by telephone while she was in Denmark between January 2007 and May 2008.

22. July 2021

CEDAW 40/2012
  • Decision: 15. August 2013
  • Comm: Gender