‘Women empowerment important for growth’

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Women Development Department (WDD), Ashifa Riaz Fatyana, has said that women empowerment is obligatory for any society to grow politically, socially and economically.

Women played a great role in country’s progress, and history is witness to that, she said in an interview with The News on the eve of International Woman’s Day being observed on 8th March (today).

The minister said Women Development Department believed in service delivery. Legislation and laws have been made for the protection of women. “As a minister, I believe in implementation of laws while the government has focused on implementation and delivery. Half of our population cannot be made to sit in their houses. The government is doing a lot for the women who want to do jobs for the welfare of the country and their families, the government will facilitate them,” she said.

Besides, Women Development Department has decided to establish hostels for working women and daycare centres for their kids. She said hostels for working women will provide sense of security to the women who come from remote areas or suburban areas of cities to earn livelihood to support their families. For this purpose, we have decided to set up a Working Women Hostel Authority. The Authority shall be mandated to issue licences to private women hostels, standardise facilities according to categories, conduct inspections and monitor the accommodations for safety and security of residents. Incentives shall be offered to hostel owners to encourage their enlistment with the Authority. Women Development Department shall not only generate revenue through licence issuance and renewal fees, but shall also create income opportunities for women staff members to be employed by the hostel management. WDD will expand its mechanism for issuing grants under Punjab Daycare Fund, to establish Daycare Centres in every new hostel.

The authority will cooperate with private sector to establish new hostels for women. The authority will issue them licences to construct or build hostels. It will be mandatory for the hostels to build daycare centres there too. The minister said all necessary steps would be taken to speed up the process for the establishment of Daycare Centres throughout Punjab considering the rapid growth in the demand. She said women’s hostels would get licence from WDD.

She said that empowered women cannot be exploited. Economically strong women have power of taking their decisions which cannot be suppressed. She lauded the role of media in creating awareness among women. She said WDD will make anti-harassment committees at public offices and private workplaces. She said more space for women belonging to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and international NGOs would be created.