MoU signed: NCSW, ASF to process data on gender violence

MoU will enable establishment of mechanisms for data collection, monitoring and analysis.

ISLAMABAD:

The need to collect and streamline data on violence against women is imperative for outlining a strategy to curb such heinous acts. Acknowledging this fact, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) which will facilitate the establishment of mechanisms for data collection and monitoring data updates on a six-month basis, said a press release.

The purpose of this MoU is to organise training and networking workshops directed towards capacity building and sensitisation of parliamentarians, especially women, in relation specifically with acid and burn violence.

Under this collaboration, NCSW and ASF will jointly Identify, document and share best practices to be capitalised upon in the future to address gender-based violence, especially violence against women.

NCSW Chairperson Khawar Mumtaz called this development ‘a milestone in the history of NCSW’, elaborating that this is a good first step towards testing and developing a workable monitoring mechanism, expected to provide the basis for appropriate action. Mumtaz expressed hope that the MoU will provide a good model for collectively promoting women’s rights and achieving gender equity as envisaged in Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The data provided by Acid Survivors Foundation evinces that victims of acid attacks in the country have a high survival rate. Hailing predominantly from the lower income group, the victims have to fight an uphill battle of rebuilding their lives in conjunction with physical challenges and psychological changes. This can be taxing, and such rehabilitation requires long-term surgical treatment and in- depth intervention from psychologists and counsellors.

ASF Chairperson Valerie Khan explained that the memorandum is “an interesting step towards institutionalising the promotion and protection of women’s rights in Pakistan.”  She also lauded this development as a one-of-a-kind collaboration between the civil society and government institutions, adding that such partnerships are crucial for enhancing good governance in the country’s current socio-political mire.  

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2014.