HRCP urges actionable steps for women's empowerment

Rights body regrets country’s abysmal ranking in Global Gender Gap Index

LAHORE:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its grave concern on Friday that the country continued to lag behind global economies in addressing chronic gender disparities and urged the government to take actionable steps to provide more economic opportunities for women.

In a statement issued in the occasion of International Women's Day, the HRCP commended the resilience of the country’s working women in the face of harmful misogynistic attitudes and unprecedented economic instability.

It pointed out that in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index, Pakistan ranked 143rd out of 146 countries for women's economic opportunity, while the 2020-21 Pakistan Labour Force Survey said that women accounted for a miniscule 23.5% of the total labour force despite 49.4% the working-age population.

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Moreover, the HRCP statement said that women, particularly Christians and Hindus, were continuously denied their rightful inheritance because of a lack of implementation of laws guaranteeing their rights. It called for more inclusive measures to ensure women's right to vote and contest elections.

“The state must take actionable steps to provide more economic opportunities for women, protecting their right to work in a dignified environment free from harassment and with equal pay. Their inclusion in Pakistan's workforce must be encouraged regardless of whether they are married or unmarried.”

The HRCP demanded that the state pay heed to the rights of incarcerated women, many of whom suffer in jails with poor hygienic conditions, little access to healthcare and limited economic recourse for legal representation.

“The demands of the Baloch women, calling for the return of their disappeared loved ones must be met as well,” it said, adding that Pakistan's international obligations and commitment to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals mandated gender equality in every sphere.