‘Women bodies must unite to end VAW’

K-P govt expresses commitment to end gender-based violence

PESHAWAR: With violence against women a national issue with high prevalence in the province as well, all women organisations and bodies have been urged to join hands and make collective efforts to protect women and girls.

This was urged by the Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) Chairperson Maliha Asghar Khan on Monday while speaking at an event to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and to launch the annual ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign’ in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The event was jointly organised by WPC, Ombudsperson Secretariat and the K-P Commission on the Status of Women (K-PCSW) with support from UN Women Pakistan.

Maliha said that the provincial government is committed to protecting and supporting women through effective legislation and provision of quality services. In this regard, she urged all female members of the provincial assembly to set an example for other provinces by unanimously passing the long-pending pro-women bills.

“We strongly recommend that all women machineries join hands and make collective efforts for protecting women and girls from violence,” suggested K-PCSW Chairperson Dr Riffat Sardar, adding, “There is a need to understand the cultural context of the province and bring necessary reforms in the service delivery mechanisms in this regard.”

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) MPA Rehana Ismail shared that Islam is a religion of peace and that it does not encourage gender-based discrimination.

“Teachings of Islam reassure respect of women.”

K-P Ombudsperson Rukhshanda Naz highlighted the importance of sensitizing the public about women’s rights. She added that obtaining an education was the most important thing for women to do because lower literacy and lack of awareness about basic rights makes them vulnerable to oppression and discrimination.

Two theatre performances were also given where local theatre groups portrayed the positive image of women in a family.

“Sixteen days of Activism is an international campaign, which is commemorated each year to raise awareness on violence against women as a human rights issue, focusing on the importance of grassroots work to end violence,” said Zainab Khan, the head of UN Women’s K-P office. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2019.