Women empowerment, gender parity stressed

Islamabad

A number of messages stressing for women empowerment and gender parity were issued by women political leaders on the occasion of International Women Day.

In her message, Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik called all men, women and children to pledge for parity in order to become the strength of each other for a prosperous, healthy and a brighter future for our children as well as our nations

She said that Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah emphasized on gender equality from the very genesis of Pakistan’s freedom struggle and integrated this ideal within the formation of the state. He consistently advocated for gender equality and wished to see women as equal partners in all walks of life.

Her statement mentions that despite legal framework and efforts towards women empowerment, they remain excluded, disadvantaged and invisible in most countries across the globe. “One of the main reasons, apart from low literacy rates, lack of access to productive resources etc, is the undermined involvement of men in advocacy and implementation of these frameworks.” It further says that men have a crucial role to play in preventing physical and sexual violence, ensuring women’s access to education, and their socio-economic and political rights and opportunities.

In her statement, State Minister and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Marvi Memon said that BISP's role in women empowerment is historic. She thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar for increasing the budgets of BISP and empowering the most downtrodden vulnerable women of Pakistan through the largest social safety net in Pakistan. She said that by giving 5.2 million of the poorest women quarterly stipends of Rs4700, BISP was the largest stakeholder in women empowerment in Pakistan and a role model organization being followed in many developing countries.

A statement issued by former chairs of National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on this occasion paid tribute to Pakistan’s vibrant women’s movement for its untiring and heroic struggle against discrimination and anti-women practices (karo kari, vani, swara, forced marriage) and for bringing women’s issues into the mainstream discourse.

The former chairpersons, including Justice (r) Majida Razivi, Dr Arfa Syeda Zehra, Anis Haroon and Khawar Mumtaz, appreciated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's statement made at the screening of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's documentary ‘A Girl in the River-The Price of Forgiveness’ that “there is no honour in killing” and that this kind of killing is “evil,” and that the law that gives impunity to murderers will be changed.