Fostering inclusivity: Findings of gender analysis in health and education sectors launched

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) with support from the German agency GIZ on Friday launched the findings of the Gender Analysis of Health Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2025 and Education Sector Plans 2020-2025.

The launching was made at the one-day seminar which brought together stakeholders committed to advancing gender equality in the KP.Rukhshanda Naz, a noted women rights activist and Ombudsperson KP for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace, was the guest of honour on the occasion.

The participants included representatives from civil society organizations and provincial government departments such as the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department, Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Health Department, Higher Education Department, Planning and Development Department, Khyber Girls Medical University, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, Special Education and Zamung Kor, Right to Information Commission, Right to Services Commission, Child Protection and Welfare Commission and representatives of United Nations World Health Organization.

Amna Durrani, KPCSW Director Programmes explained the objectives of the seminar. She said gender analysis of the KP Health Sector Strategic Pan 2018-2025 and Education Sector Plan 2020-2025 aimed at incorporating gender lens into the policy actions, strategies, and programmes.

Robin Haider Bokhari, KPCSW secretary, said the gender analysis exercise was an effort to translate the commission’s statutory functions of reviewing plans of each department in the province to see if they adequately addressed the strategic needs of women.

Ombudsperson KP for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Rukhshanda Naz said addressing the harassment in workplaces, institutions and in public places was essential to promote inclusion of girls and women in education and mainstreaming their access to health.

Additional Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Jehangir Azam Wazir, said his department was working on enrolling out-of-school children, especially girls, through a host of initiatives including involvement of community, parent-teacher councils and introducing accelerated learning pathways.

Special Secretary of the Health Department Habibullah appreciated the role of Women’s Commission in highlighting the areas needing focus in the Health Sector Strategic Plan to promote greater inclusion of women’s healthcare workforce and access to health services across the province.

Participants in the interactive session endorsed the findings that a greater focus was required on services for addressing gender-based violence in essential services, mental health and the need for greater focus on social determinants of women‘s physical health.

They hoped the findings would play a pivotal role in fostering inclusivity and enhancing the quality of education and health services in KP.The seminar participants expressed a collective commitment to take into account the recommendations of the gender analysis by KPCSW and to continue to drive meaningful change to pave the way for a more progressive society through gender-inclusive service delivery in KP.