Lahore The All Pakistan Women's Association (APWA) on Saturday organised an event titled “Social Gathering with Agents of Social Change” to acknowledge the importance of 16 Days Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. Addressing on the occasion, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, MNA and Caucus general secretary, emphasised that support for women against violence should start at an early age. “We all have basic rights and these rights are also ensured by our constitution," she added. She said that economic equality was the key to end gender-based violence. Ruhi Sayid, APWA chairperson, said that measures taken by the government were women friendly. Women today feel safe and are striving for a change in the social mindset, she said. "We should not expect peace without considering men and women as equal counterparts and we need to build capability for understanding each other rather than to generate any form of violence," she added. Dur-e-Shawar, APWA chief operating officer, said that, as women the young girl were still unsafe to get access to school. She stressed the need for supporting a secure system for the women and girls. APWA collaborated with a number of civil society organisations to acknowledge the importance of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign. The APWA and its partners are initiating a number of events to create awareness about violence against women. The activities include theatre performances, videos and speeches by survivors of violence, training and provision of legal aid, support for survivors of violence, distribution of pro-women laws booklets.
