Denial to inheritance right barrier in women empowerment: Mahmood

Education minister says govt is all set for uplifting status of women legally, socially and economically

ISLAMABAD: One of the main barriers women face in their path to empowerment is denial to their inheritance right, said Federal Minister for Education, Professional Training and National Heritage Shafqat Mahmood.

He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of three-day Annual Rural Women Conference organised by Potohar Organisation of Development Advocacy (PODA) at Lok Virsa on Thursday.

All the speakers were of the view that this is high time to recognise contributions of rural women, who are the backbone of the agriculture sector that makes the significant portion of GDP, said a press release.

The conference which started on Tuesday concluded today on Thursday on presentation and adoption of conference resolution.

Rural women display crafts

"Women's right to inheritance is crucial in determining and defining their social status in the society. Believing that women's role is significant in the development and progress of our country, our government is all set for uplifting their status legally, socially and economically," Mahmood added.

He said that the gender disparity of more food and better school for boys kept the country backwards. The new Pakistan will move towards closing the gender gap, Mahmood said adding his ministry was ensuring provision of free vocational and technical education for girls and women to make them economically independent.

PODA Pakistan President Sameena Nazir said there was a need to have effective and efficient legal mechanisms to implement the laws meant to address real issues and challenges faced by women for their real development.

Highlighting the fundamental points of the resolution of the 12th Annual Rural Women Conference, Nazir said that this is high time to bring legal changes in the formal definition of the "formal labour force" to include women farmers and workers in agriculture, livestock, dairy, fisheries, forestry, and related sectors of the rural economy.

Other highlights of the resolutions were training of surveyors conducting surveys for Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on how to collect sex-disaggregated data, and how to include rural agricultural women's work and productivity in the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR); revised data of PBS should be communicated widely; one acre of land be given to women farmers for agriculture; and most importantly rural women's access to loans and information technology to utilize environmentally sustainable sources of power and energy, solar, wind, and biogas (which also yields organic fertilizer for farming) need to be enhanced.

Nazir was of the view that economic independence is a prerequisite and a guarantee for women empowerment for which all stakeholders need to join hands to bring forward women entrepreneurs on the forefront to utilize their potential fully.

In 2007, the United Nations declared October 15 as Rural Women Day. PODA has started to celebrate the day since 2008. The theme of 2019 conference is "Synergising Rural Women's Leadership for Rights-Based Development in Pakistan". To honour struggle of Kashmiri women, this platform has been dedicated to them.

EU Mission Delegation Deputy Head Anne Marchal appreciated PODA efforts to enhance environment friendly initiatives and discouraging plastic bags.

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PTI MPA Uzma Kardar said that PM's believe in women empowerment inspires us. A businesswoman Erum Saaim, representing women with disability, said that there was a need to change mindset to include all marginalised sections of the society in the course of development.

Ministry of Planning Development and Reforms Parliamentary Secretary Kanwal Shauzab narrated challenges which she faced. She said that she fought for her rights and in that struggle she was successful. A representative of transgender community, Nayab Ali, urged for  ensuring inclusive policies for the participation of the marginalised sections.

Other speakers were Nadia Qaisar, Irfan Mufti, Abdul Majeed Cheena, Samina Kosar and Razia Sultana. At the end of the proceedings of the last day, awards were distributed among the distinguished rural women leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2019.