Pakistan has lowest number of women in public sector departments in South Asia

Islamabad
Pakistan has the lowest number of women in public sector departments in South Asia which is only 4.8 per cent of the total, whereas only three per cent women hold the management positions in private sector.
Statistics make part of the presentations made at the ‘National Consultation on Gender Indicators for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan’, organised by National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and UNWOMEN on Monday. Representatives from federal and provincial governments, parliament, civil society and media attended the meeting in which participants held detailed discussion on the indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with regard to Pakistan.
Director Bodily Rights Shirkat Gah Sarah Zaman told the participants the data has not been collected in Pakistan for around 44 SDGs indicators out of total 171 and for 26 other targets, data has been collected but indicators have not been developed. She pointed out that the SDGs fail to address the issue of refugee women which is huge challenge at global scale.
Talking about the mechanisms for the implementation of SDGs and work areas of the Parliamentary task force for SDG, Chairperson Parliamentary Task Force for SDGs Maryam Aurangzeb said that the review process of Vision 2025 goals to align them with the SDGs will start from the next week. She said that 31 Parliamentarians representing all mainstream political parties are members of the Task Force.
In her remarks on comprehensive data base as a prerequisite for the implementation of SDG goals, she said the government has decided to hold Census in March next year and preparations have already been started.
She said that SDGs are a huge undertaking and only government cannot achieve them without the support from all stakeholders. She urged civil society to connect to Parliamentarians and to the people at grassroots level to implement and monitor the Sustainable Development Goals. She stressed the need to create awareness about the SDGs and said that Pakistan Television would start the awareness campaign from the next week.
Highlighting the difference in the approach of government towards Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and SDGs, Chief Poverty Alleviation Section for Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform Zafar Ul Hassan said that MDGs were officially acknowledged in 2004 and were localised in 2010 whereas SDGs were acknowledged by the government even before the official announcement of SDGs and localization negotiations have already been started.
After 18th Amendment, he said, provincial governments are the leaders in the implementation of SDGs. He said every province has different starting points, priorities and regional circumstances and all federating units need effective coordination between each other and also within their structures besides developing a credible data base and adequate financial allocation for effective implementation of the SDGs.
For localisation of SDGs, he said the best way is to monitor SDG implementation at district level but after establishment of local body government, a big challenge would be of the capacity building of newly formed district governments.
Country Representative UNWOMEN Jamshed Kazi termed the consultation a timely event as the UN is in the process of developing indicators. He said that upholding of women rights leads to fair and more sustainable future.
Member Social Sector for Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform Naeem-uz-Zafar said the government has already started reviewing the public surveys to inculcate the SDG monitoring mechanism from the very start. “Besides that, we have also started mapping of goals and indicators of provincial development agendas in order to align them with the SDGs,” he said.
In her presentation on SDG Goal 5 which deals with women participation and violence against women, Programme Coordinator UNWOMEN Uzma Quresh said that challenges are huge for Pakistan.
“Globally, one out of three women is subjected to physical or sexual violence and 60 per cent cases remain unreported where as 32 per cent married women are subjected to physical violence where as 64 per cent women have never entered the schools in Pakistan,” she said.
Talking about some revolutionary steps taken in SDGs, she said that this time, the SDGs also recognise and emphasise on sharing of unpaid care work. She said that SDGs also talk about the ensuring full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.
About Pakistan, she said that though women make 21 per cent of the Parliament, there are only 4.8 per cent women in public sector that is the lowest in South Asia and only 3 per cent women are at the management positions in private sector.
She said that globally, 1.3 billion women do not posses any bank account. “In case of Pakistan, even when accounts are open, the decision and authority lies with men.” Uzma also stressed for the need to expand the use of enabling technology especially information and communications technology for women.