K-P govt announces policy guidelines for women empowerment

Khattak says 16 days of activism campaign launched on sensitise people on rights of women

PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has announced its policy guidelines for women empowerment in the province in order to ensure provision of avenues for development of women in the province.

The announcement was made during a ceremony organised by the Department of Social Welfare and the Parliamentary Women Caucus Committee in the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar.

While addressing the ceremony, Khattak stated that 16 days of activism campaign has been launched on sensitising the people on rights of women throughout the province. Khattak said that women empowerment is an essential component of human development and a key to poverty eradication, building resilient societies, economies and promoting sustainable development.

The function was also addressed by Women Parliamentary Caucus Chairwoman Meraj Humayun, UNO Women Welfare Affairs Head Jamshed Qazi and other speakers who highlighted various steps of K-P government for the welfare of womenfolk.

K-P Assembly Deputy Speaker Mehertaj Roghani, Provincial Minister for Information Shah Farman Khan and provincial ministers, MPAs and women from different walks of life attended the ceremony.

Khattak said Women Empowerment Policy aims at improving overall status of women in K-P through their socio-economic, political and legal empowerment. He informed that salient features of the policy included provision of quality health care, reducing gender gap in education, creation of employment and income generation opportunities to encourage their equal participation in all political processes and to ensure elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls through legislation and its effective implementation.

He said that policy is based on principles of non-discrimination, gender equality, priority to the women in rural areas, recognition of the value of women in society, their contribution in all spheres of life, and women as equal partners in development and agents of change in economic, social and political processes.

The chief minister also stated that recently the provincial government has passed the Bill for preventing Harassment of Women at the workplace and asserted that the incumbent government will soon table the bill for prevention of Domestic Violence on the floor of the provincial assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2017.