Women empowerment: Speakers express concern over gender discrimination

Call for financial independence of women, inclusion in decision-making processes.

ISLAMABAD: Despite being a major stakeholder in the country, women in Pakistan continue to be victims of gender-based violence, early marriages and denial of basic rights. It is not possible for the country to progress without empowering its women, which is only possible by educating them.

Speakers at a national conference titled, ‘Tabeer Hum; celebrates women across Pakistan’ expressed concern over gender discrimination in the country. They stressed over the need for the effective implementation of pro-women laws in the country to safeguard their rights.

Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal highlighted that women in Pakistan needed a greater share in decision making. She said that as a signatory to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against women (CEDAW), Pakistan is bound to give 33 per cent share to women in all decision-making bodies including legislatures, judiciary, foreign and financial policies, services and admin tribunals.

Farzana Bari, a human rights activist said, “Our rural women are deprived of their right to opt for an opportunity to become financially stable and are forced to work as labourers.”

These women cannot live a life on their own and have to sacrifice their dreams to keep others happy, she said adding that there was a need that all women should be provided opportunities to be financially stable. “Our survival should not depend on others,” she said.

Adding to the thought, Salman Asif, an author and a former United Nations Pakistan international gender advisor, said that with the passage of time we are forgetting our history and glorious traditions.

Based on the lesson learnt from history there is a need to promote equality, interfaith harmony and tolerance by putting an end to gender discrimination.

Stressing government’s role in mainstreaming women development in Pakistan, Member National Assembly, Maiza Hameed said, “Our state and constitution safeguards women’s rights. The present government has introduced several pro-women laws in the recent past and is continuously working towards mainstreaming gender equality in the country.

“We are also investing in youth programmes to enable the youth to become ambassadors of change.  It is high time that we join hands with the government to minimise the roadblocks to justice and equity that refuse the women their basic rights,” she said.

Ambassador of Denmark, Jesper Moller Sorensen said early child marriage is still a problem in Pakistan which needs to be addressed.

He termed female empowerment a ‘core driver of democratisation’, stating that democracy was more likely to occur and flourish in nations with a longer history of educating girls.

“Every time a woman gets just one additional year of education, she will add 15 per cent to her life income, which not only benefits her, but also her family and her community,” he said.

Dutch Ambassador Marcel de Vink, said, “If we look  20 years back we can see lot of progress being made by Pakistan in empowering women, however, still a lot need to be done.”

He said Pakistan has many stories to share to highlight struggle of its women for empowerment and have make their mark nationally and internationally.

He expressed concern of Pakistan getting off-track in achieving the MDGs related to women health education and empowerment but hope issues will be addressed.

The conference, organsied by Oxfam Novib in collaboration with Government of Denmark and Netherlands, also featured community activists from Sindh and Bajaur Agency who narrated their personal experiences and the struggles they undertook to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty and ignorance.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2015.