Sindh Women Development Minister Syeda Shehla Raza on Sunday said that the staff at Darul Amans and safe homes must show supportive behaviour to the victim women.
“The Sindh Ministry of Women Development and the women development department are committed to addressing women issues in Sindh and empower them to the extent that they can play an equal role in society’s peace and stability,” she said during a three-day training workshop titled ‘Peace Building and Leadership Role of Women in Sindh’.
The Legal Rights Forum (LRF) in collaboration with the women development department had organised the training workshop for 35 women development department staff members, including directors, assistant directors, caretakers, managers, law officers, and psychologists, posted in Darul Amans and safe homes across the province.
Four female members of the Sindh Assembly were also part of the training. During the training, the trainees were oriented on peace building through the Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) aimed at increasing the ability of the department to integrate peace promotion into its development programmes for the women in Sindh and enhancing the capacity of targeted government institutions to counter VE groups.
Shahla said that the provision of quality facilities and a safe environment to helpless women and their children living in Darul Amans was the responsibility of the department. She said that no laxity would be tolerated in this regard.
She also directed the department’s staff to ensure full implementation of the standard operating procedures at the Darul Amans and safe homes to improve their day-to-day business. Mangla Sharma, an MPA of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, said that the department must develop the Darul Amans at least in every divisional headquarters in Sindh with all essential facilities to protect victim women.
Ghazala Siyal, an MPA, stressed the need for appointing skilled women in the Darul Amans and safe homes as all these projects were understaffed. Anum Iqbal, the women development secretary, said her department was committed to establishing daycare centres and Darul Amans at the district level to facilitate women empowerment.
Malik Tahir Iqbal, the LRF chief executive officer, acknowledged the wholehearted support provided by the women development ministry to the LRF for arranging the much-needed training workshop.