Provincial statutory body on women finally gets a chairperson

The civil society’s hard work paid off after the Sindh chief minister approved the appointment of a chairperson for the provincial commission on status of women, two years after passing of the law.

In a letter issued by the provincial ministry on women development on Friday, prominent women’s rights activist Nuzhat Shirin was appointed as the head of the autonomous pro-women body.

Shirin has been appointed the chairperson for a period of three years, under Section 6 of the Sindh Commission on Status of Women Act, 2015.   The activist has a 30-year experience in the field of women’s rights and has worked with various government and non-government organisations, including the federal women ministry, the Aurat Foundation and the HomeNet Pakistan.

She is currently serving as the provincial coordinator with the National Commission for Human Rights and is also an active member of the Women Action Forum.

On April 6, 2015, thhe Sindh Assembly had passed the Sindh Commission on Status of Women Act, which was assented to by the then governor Sindh on May 12. As per the law, the Sindh government was bound to constitute a commission, to be known as the Sindh Provincial Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW), to exercise the powers and functions conferred upon it within 90 days of passing the law. The commission is to comprise 21 members, including a chairperson, 

However, owing to efforts of the Provincial Steering Forum (PSF), a civil society watchdog formed in March this year to ensure implementation of the recently passed pro-women laws in Sindh, the chairperson of the commission has now been appointed. Formed by the Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO), the PSF comprises civil society and women rights activists, government officials and media personnel. A delegation of the PSF met with several top government officials, parliamentarians and organised consultative meetings to

make the commission functional.