Economically empowered women beneficial for their families, community

Islamabad

When women are politically empowered, they can help create an enabling environment for their increased economic participation.

This was stated by Canadian High Commissioner Perry Calderwood while addressing the Women's Economic Empowerment Forum hosted by the High Commission of Canada on Thursday.

“When women are empowered economically, their family and community benefit. Similarly by promoting women’s rights, all marginalised groups stand to benefit. A society that upholds women’s rights will also respect the rights of religious minorities; the rights of children -- especially those victims of exploitation and trafficking,” she said.

She said that the Government of Canada is an ardent supporter of women's rights both at home and around the world. The Women's Economic Empowerment Forum has been hosted by the High Commission of Canada since 2011. The Forum informs the direction of Canada’s future gender programming in Pakistan.

This year, the scope of the forum was expanded to address women's empowerment and women's rights in all aspects -- political, economic, social, and humanitarian. The Forum looked at the underlying social and cultural factors that constrain women’s ability to be equal and active participants in Pakistan’s social, economic and political arena. The Forum complements the celebrations of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation, which underscores Canada’s promotion of diversity, pluralism and gender equality.

The Forum brought together a diverse range of women and men. Panelists addressed the major challenges to women's social, political, and economic participation and empowerment, such as the impact of harmful cultural practices, biased social attitudes, non-gender responsive police and judiciary, and religious extremism and intolerance.

The participants - development professionals, rural women, the private sector, and government representatives - discussed themes such as the enforcement of progressive legislation, their experience and views on measures needed to support women's social and economic mobility, and promoting women's engagement in decision-making.

Studies of the situation of women in Pakistan illustrate limited mobility, gender stereotyping, rigid gender roles and the prevalence of gender-based violence. These social inequalities are further exacerbated for women in times of disasters and displacements. Women’s challenges are reflected in Pakistan’s rank on the Global Gender Gap Index of the World Economic Forum, on which Pakistan stands in 143rd position among 144 countries as of 2016.

While there has been progress in terms of introducing legislation protecting women's rights -- reflected in 24 new pro-women laws passed in Pakistan in the past three years -- robust enforcement is key to both short- and long-term impact. Room exists for further growth in state policies that encourage women's political and economic participation.

As reported in the 2015 Annual Report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the prosecution rate for crimes against women remains very low, as the burden of prosecution remains on the shoulders of the victim. This can exacerbate a culture of impunity in which perpetrators have the opportunity to repeat their actions and women become increasingly reluctant to report human rights violations, whether a crime or an instance of discrimination.