Skills, access to capital key to women's role in economy

Experts urge public safety, effective enforcement of workplace harassment laws

KARACHI:

Women's empowerment programmes must go beyond training to connect them with jobs, market opportunities and access to finance, while recognising their care responsibilities, experts said at the 29th Sustainable Development Conference hosted by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

Chairing the session on women's skills and livelihoods, Member National Assembly Shaista Pervaiz Malik identified industry-relevant skills, public safety, market links and access to capital as priorities for increasing women's economic participation.

L'Oreal Pakistan Executive General Manager and CEO Rehan Saeed said women made up about half of the country's population, yet their labour force participation was only around 24%. Sharing experiences from the company's community impact programmes, he stressed that skill development programmes were the most valuable when linked with employment, mentorship and business support.

Punjab's Women Ombudsperson Dr Najma Afzal acknowledged L'Oreal's initiatives in vocational beauty skills, digital and financial literacy and addressing street harassment, noting their contribution to women's dignity and economic independence. She called for effective enforcement of workplace harassment laws and asked government institutions to lead by example, including by ensuring confidence in grievance mechanisms.

Public health and gender justice expert Dr Rakhshinda Perveen added that there was a dire need to overcome the legal, institutional, social and economic barriers that limited women's participation in the workforce.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Deputy Resident Representative Van Nguyen cited the success of an initiative in Vietnam that supported women micro-entrepreneurs through 100 cooperatives, linking them with digital tools, markets and mentoring. Women's economic empowerment, she said, should give them greater security, choice and control over their earnings.

Punjab Social Protection Authority's former vice chairperson Jahan Ara Manzoor Wattoo presented the Khud Mukhtar programme as an example of grassroots support. It provides young married couples with productive assets worth up to Rs150,000, such as livestock, tools or business equipment.