Steps sought for wellbeing of vulnerable segments of society

PESHAWAR: The members of the civil society organisations here on Friday urged the government to take steps for the welfare of all the vulnerable segments of the society irrespective of their caste, creed and colour.

They were speaking at a joint press conference arranged by the Civil Society Working Group of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Peshawar Press Club.The representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Legal Aid and Awareness Services (LAAS), Khwendo Kor, Noor Education Trust, Pakistan Minority Council and others spoke on the occasion.

LAAS Executive Director Rukhshanda Naz and Blue Veins Programme Coordinator Qamar Naseem were among the speakers. They called upon the political parties to give more representation to the women workers and empower them to take part in the decision-making.

The speakers asked the political parties to appoint 30 percent women against party offices to empower them in the true sense. They asked the government to establish women’s commission in major cities in the country. The speakers also demanded allocation of sufficient funds and financial independence for already established women’s commissions.

They called for providing quick justice to the families of the children in rape cases. The speakers pointed out that the accused roamed freely while the victims were running from pillar to post to seek justice. The government was asked to make strict laws to protect the children and punish the accused to check the rising cases of child abuse.

The human rights activists also asked for the establishment of the Provincial Child Protection Commission.They underscored the need for amending the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour at Brick Kilns Ordinance 2016. The speakers said it was the responsibility of the government to provide jobs to the youth.

They demanded the government to initiate development and uplift projects to benefit the young generation.The civil society activists called for taking steps to facilitate the minority communities to take part in the upcoming general election as voters and candidates. They said civil society organisations were striving to get the due rights for the women, youth, transgender community and minorities.