‘Violence against women on the rise’

Lahore
Despite successful actions by women’s organisations over the past decades, the scale and severity of discrimination and violence against women (VAW) is on the rise. Begum Hameeda Waheed-ud-Din appreciated the chief minister's efforts for approving the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence 2015.
Begum Hameeda Waheed-ud-Din, Minister for Women Development, has said the gender-based violence is one of the most significant mechanisms by which the state and societies retain power over women, their lives and choices. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders. She was addressing the launching campaign Adm Tashadud Kai Liey Hum AAWAZ”.
The event was organised by the Aurat Foundation, SPO, SAP-PK and Sungi under AAWAZ Voice and Accounablity Programme. Speakers were Regional Manager Aurat Foundation Mumtaz Mughal, Dr. Farzana Nazir, MPA from PML-N, and Convener Women Caucus Punjab, Amina Ulfat, PML Q, Muhammad Sulman, Director Planning Social Welfare Punjab, Munoo Bhai, Columnist, Naeema Malik, National Manager SAP PK, Salman Abid, Regional Director SPO, Amail Khattak, National Manager Sungi Foundation.
Addressing the event, Begum Hameeda said the campaign “Adm Tashadud Kai Liey Hum AAWAZ” was an excellent initiative from the civil society organisations. It will also contribute to convince ordinary men and women across the targeted areas that by working together they could end all VAW.
Regional Manager Aurat Foundation Mumtaz Mughal said the AAWAZ Programm was working for bringing a change in the behaviours of women, girls, men and boys to create an environment where VAW was not tolerated. According to the Aurat Foundation's VAW report 2014, more than 7,010 cases have been reported. In the first six month of 2015, the Aurat Foundation's VAW report, 2926 cases have been reported. Many more cases of domestic violence remain unreported. Pakistan is one of the top three most dangerous countries in the World for women. Pakistan’s performance in terms of the Gender Inequality Index (GII) is one of the worst performances. Pakistan has a GII value of 0.563, slipping down to 126th out of 149 countries in the 2013 index. Pakistan ranks last in women participation in the workforce among the SAARC countries. They comprise 42 percent of the total family labour, but are mostly unacknowledged. She further said that domestic violence had become a household terrorism.
Dr. Farzana Nazir, MPA from PML-N and Convener Women Caucus Punjab, said we should stand and speak against the domestic violence for creating prosperous communities and hitting a woman was never justified. She said that in our society, there was recognition and understanding of domestic violence in our society and consequently communities deemed it unacceptable. There is a need to reduce the social acceptance of violence against women.
Amina Ulfat, PML Q, said that in Pakistan there had been positive changes in women’s rights and gender equality over the past decades as more women were accessing higher education, making economic participation, more women reaching parliament and participating in political processes.
Muhammad Sulman, Director Planning Social Welfare Punjab, shared that the Punjab government was going to initiate the Punjab Women Protection Bill 2015. The bill will encompasses all violence against women crimes including abeting of an offence, domestic abuse, emotional, psychological and verbal abuse, economic abuse, stalking, cyber-crime and all others laid out in other acts and laws.
He opined that violence against women centre’s (VAWC) and shelter homes would be established at all the Punjab’s districts in a phased approach. Violence against Women Centre will be converging point for all essential services to ensure justice delivery including provision of first aid, police reporting, registration of criminal cases, medical examination, collection of forensic evidence and provision of legal aid to aggrieved person.
Speakers stressed the Punjab government to introduce the Women Protection Bill immediately in provincial assembly and pass the DVB as CM promised in women empowerment package 2012.