SPO completes pro-women legislation project

The Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) organised a close-out conference of the ‘Policy Advocacy and Research to Strengthen Implementation of Pro-Women Legislation and GBV Response Services in Sindh’ project at a hotel on Wednesday.

The conference was attended by Minister for Women Development Syeda Shehla Raza as the chief guest, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari, Sindh Assembly opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi, IGP Dr Kaleem Imam, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Nuzat Shirin, MPA Ghazala Siyal, Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Convener Arefa Mazhar, the chief executive of the SPO, legislators, civil society, and media officials.

According to a spokesperson for the Sindh police, Imam had appreciated the SPO work and the collaboration with the Sindh Police for capacity building of its offical staff and development of training manuals on women’s rights.

The IGP shared that the provincial government had developed certain pro-women laws and the police were taking steps to implement it; however, it was also significantly important to spread awareness about the laws so the concerted impact and implementation could be witnessed in society. He elaborated that the police had established human rights and women and child protection cells to resolve GBV complains. He said the police were also starting inclusion of transgender and providing international exposure to its female officials to help them better utilise the earned skill in combating GBV.

During the conference, the guests appreciated the SPO’s efforts rendered during these two years and the successful completion of the project. The SPO’s rigorous advocacy and lobbing for implementation of pro-women laws and strengthening of pro-women structures in the province were also appreciated.