Women’s rights issues: ‘Provincial governments to handle new legislations’

Researcher says polices are made without collaboration with women.

ISLAMABAD:

After the devolution of the Ministry of Women Development under the 18th Amendment, all new legislation specific to women’s issues will fall within the purview of the provincial governments. A central body will be made to watch over the process.

Secretary Interprovincial Coordination Committee on 18th Amendment, Ahmad Mahmood Zahid, stated this while speaking at a national consultation on “Gender Equality Policy in the Provinces; Women’s Rights post 18th Amendment”, at a local hotel here on Tuesday.

The purpose of the national consultation was to share findings of a study, titled “A New Policy Framework for Women’s Equal Rights”, with the provincial representatives and provide them with guidelines on developing province-specific polices on women’s rights. The seminar was organised by the National Commission on Status of Women  in collaboration with Oxfam UK and UKaid.

Zahid said that while the ministry was not devolved to the provinces in the first phase, it was on the cards. He said that international commitments of the ministry will go through the planning and development division and ministry of foreign affairs.

While sharing findings of her study, researcher and women’s rights’ activist Afiya Zia said that policies on women’s rights are made behind closed doors without their input. These polices are made under a stereotypical notion of women, with their traditional familial roles as mothers or wives, rather than independent citizens, she said.

She discussed women’s concerns regarding labour, security of life, health and violence and urged policy makers to understand the gender sensitive nature of all sectors. She demanded the policy makers to expedite legislation processes and pass all pending bills, especially the Domestic Violence Bill.

She said that an integrated policy that links credit, health, life and asset insurance for women must be introduced by the government. A quota for women judges is imperative and must be implemented with immediate effect, she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2011.