Islamabad: Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri has said that empowerment of women calls for increasing their effective participation in power corridors and their representation should be supported with sufficient financial allocation.
Dr Suleri was addressing a session on “Women’s campaign readiness programme” organised by SDPI and partners here Monday. Dr Suleri stressed that the capacity of women leaders should be built from grassroots level which is only possible by engaging with them. He said that only they can enlighten us about the challenges that confront them especially when conducting electoral campaigns, media engagement and different challenges due to media engagement.
The SDPI chief emphasised that while enhancing the capacity of women leaders is crucial, the role of men in the quest for women empowerment cannot be stressed enough. He insisted on sensitising men about challenges faced by women and then building their capacity as allies for women empowerment.
Senator Seemi Ezdi addressing the session said that when it comes to political activism and engagement, women face additional challenges as they are engaged in domestic work and must look after their families as well. She said that despite this, the establishment of women’s wings in political parties played an important role in enhancing women’s engagement in politics. She observed that for every woman entering politics, education and awareness about issues of the masses especially women are critical in enabling their effective role.
Senator Fawzia Arshad said that there is no denial that women face much more challenges in politics than their male counterparts but they must remain positive and become saviours rather than victim. She said that women should not consider themselves weak but realise their innate strength.
Senator Naeema Kishwar Khan urged that local government systems should be strengthened for effective service delivery to the people. She stressed that representatives of the local government systems should question the parliamentarians of their constituencies about the allocation and use of funds. They must also take initiative to suggest projects and initiatives that are needed in their areas.
Aisha Sayed, Former Member National Assembly shared her journey into politics and stressed that beginning political journey from the grass-root level equips women leaders with diverse experiences and knowledge of the issues of the common public. Therefore, she suggested, women must start their journey with grassroots politics. She added that while social norms and family commitments hinder an increase in women’s political representation, their commitment and hard works eventually break these barriers.
Participants of the session comprised of elected and aspiring local government representatives from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
