‘Strong laws, implementation can end violence against women’

LAHORE:The Gap Analysis Report has been designed and commissioned by UN Women Pakistan in partnership with Women Development Department (WDD) with the financial support of UK Aid. The virtual launch was chaired by Punjab Minister for Women Development Ashifa Riaz Fatiyana, Secretary WDD Ambreen Raza, government officials, representatives of civil society organisations, media, academia, and legal community.

Minister Ashifa Riaz Fatiyana, in her remarks, said, “While we have many laws, the implementation of laws is critical to support women and girls in the province. The motorway rape incident could have been avoided if there had been effective implementation of women protection laws and speedy dispensation of justice in such cases. I believe that the police should be engaged through advocacy efforts as their sensitisation and capacity building is a key to addressing such issues. Ambreen Raza, WDD secretary, said, “This Gap Analysis Report of laws relating to Ending Violence Against Women is our joint venture with UN Women which will create a better understanding of the legislative framework to support the enactment and effective implementation of inclusive legislation in Punjab.”

Jacqui Ketunuti, Deputy Country Representative UN Women Pakistan, in her opening remarks said, “An important aspect of our work in Pakistan and globally is to focus on the alignment of national laws and policies with international commitments, particularly the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Beijing Platform of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our strong partnership with WDD and PCSW has resulted in the launch of this EVAW Laws Gap Analysis Report today. Saman Ahsan, Portfolio Manager EVAW, Governance & Human Rights UN Women Pakistan, said, “WDD is our longstanding partner and we are pleased to work together on CEDAW-compliant legislation to promote gender equality in the province. Punjab has developed many laws that are pro-women. Khadija Ali, the key author and researcher, gave a presentation on gap analysis report.