NA panel calls for women's rights reforms

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming on Tuesday urged the immediate establishment of the National Commission on the Status of Women at the federal level. It also called for the formation of provincial commissions and Gender Mainstreaming Committees to ensure the enforcement of equal rights as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Chaired by MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah, the committee recommended the development of consistent and synchronized data to support gender mainstreaming and reporting at national and international levels.

Expressing concern over the lack of implementation of the 10% quota for women in civil services, the committee noted that only 49,508 out of 1.2 million government employees are women, with most occupying lower-grade positions.

The panel stressed the urgent need for both federal and provincial governments to establish institutional frameworks to address gender disparities in education, health, employment, and political participation.

Additionally, the committee recommended that budget allocations for development schemes should be non-discriminatory between members elected on general and reserved seats.