Campaign to increase awareness about women rights launched

MULTAN: The Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW) has launched a 15-day campaign to increase awareness among the women about their rights.

The PCSW has planned organising a series of seminars, walks and special sessions in schools, colleges, universities, health institutes, and other public offices, said the officials on Tuesday. The commission was working on women harassment at workplace and the majority of complaints was received from the health department, they added.

The public sector has introduced multiple reforms for protection of women rights besides imparting training to 700 Nikkah registrars across south Punjab for errorless preparation of marriage papers. They said that women’s marriage right was avoided while filling out the marriage form in past but now the commission had inducted new family laws, which would fine parents Rs5000 to Rs20,000 for contracting under-age marriages of their children. The family laws would also penalise the Nikkahkhawan for registering such marriages.

According to the new laws, women will hold the inherited property for at least a year. They are deprived of their share in property in the name of gift to family members. The Punjab government has also launched one-window loan facility for women entrepreneurs from the Bank of Punjab, they added.

The government has also established transition houses wherein women with matriculation degree could avail residence and learn different skills to earn living. The commission regretted that in some backward areas, a large number of newly-born girls were not registered at the Union Council level. The PCSW helps resolve these cases by removing different hurdles, they added.