Violence against women: Govt asked to implement laws

They were speaking at the Institutional Capacity Strengthening of Women Development Department project

Speakers have said that violence against women will continue unless the government fully implemented international conventions on women’s rights.

They were speaking at the launching ceremony of the Institutional Capacity Strengthening of Women Development Department project here at the Rawalpindi Arts Council on Thursday.

National Commission on Human Rights Member Shafique Chaudhry said that although civil society organisations were doing their best to end violence against women, the government would also fulfil its responsibilities to protect women’s rights and end violence against them.

He stressed that the government will implement the international conventions, which it has ratified over the years, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women in true spirit.

Oxfam Pakistan Associate Country Director Sajid Mehmood said that the organisation was committed to ensuring women’s rights in Pakistan through various programmes in 52 districts.

Rawalpindi SSP Khalida Perveen said that women police were doing their best to address issues of violence against women.  “We have established women protection desks and also developed a system for women for online registration of FIRs,” she said.

Supreme Court advocate Sarkar Abbass said that the government should ensure implementation of pro-women legislation. She said that courts were always there to provide justice to the victims if they approached the courts through proper channel.

Aurat Foundation official Naeem Mirza said that violence against women was a centuries’ old phenomenon, but the positive thing to celebrate today was that now there were laws to protect women against violence and discrimination.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2016.