Girl Leadership Summit arranged: Adviser says KP making efforts to empower girls

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisor to Chief Minister on Elementary and Secondary Education Ziaullah Bangash has said the KP government will celebrate International Day of Girl Child in all government schools from next year.

The advisor on education made this announcement in his address to Girl Leadership Summit organised by Blue Veins in collaboration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women and National Action Coordination Group NACG (SAIEVAC).

The summit was organised to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child 2019 with a theme of “Girl Force: Unscripted and unstoppable” in Peshawar.

Ziaullah Bangash said the government was making an effort to empower girls by providing them quality education to ensure their full development and to later facilitate their full access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Member of the Provincial Assembly and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Youth, Tourism, Sports and Culture Syed Fakhar Jehan said harmful stereotypes and prejudices relating to age and gender held girls back and place them in harm’s way.

Rukhshanda Naz, KP Ombudsperson for Protection of Women against Harassment at Workplaces, said that let us commit to invest in skills development, education and livelihood activities for young women and girls with a purpose to enable them to rebuild their communities and create a better future for all of us.

Dr Riffat Sardar Chairperson, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW), said the International Day of the Girl is a call to action for radical social and political change to tear down barriers of discrimination and prejudice that continue to hold girls back.

Rehana Ismail, Member Provincial Assembly and senior Vice-Chairperson Women Parliamentary Caucus, said the KP government needs to take willful actions in developing, implementing, and funding cross-sectoral policies, programs, and plans to empower girl child that engage all departments and stakeholders, including civil society, children, and youth.

Qamar Naseem, Programme Coordinator Blue Veins, said the root of all girls’ rights issues are the social norms, attitudes and behaviours that mean girls are seen and treated as inferior. “We must change these gender norms and end these stereotypes to achieve gender equality and large-scale change for all girls, everywhere,” he added.

Maulana Tayyab Qureshi a renowned religious leader, said religion empowers women and raises their dignity. “We must challenge the harmful practices in our society which are falsely carried out in the name of religion,” he added.