NCSW calls for registration of women voters

Islamabad :Members of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) have called for door-to-door registration of women voters before election 2018.

They were speaking at the NCSW board meeting chaired by NCSW Chairperson Khawar Mumtaz. The meeting was attended by NCSW members and Chairpersons of Provincial Commissions on the Status of Women (PCSWs) where they reviewed the work of the Commission over the past one year and gave their feedback on issues related to women protection and empowerment and quick response mechanism for survivors and under-threat women and girls. The members also discussed complaint handling, documentation systems and follow up mechanisms followed by the national and provincial commissions.

The members said that after legislation, the biggest challenge is the implementation of laws. They expressed disappointment over the fact that the law enforcers including police, judiciary, lawyers and prosecutors are not aware of the new laws. 

The PCSW Chairpersons briefed the members about the issues they face due to lack of financial and human resources. They stressed for better coordination between NCSW, Provincial Commissions on the Status of Women (PCSWs) and members to have focused efforts for women protection and empowerment.

The Commission members highlighted the fact that positive developments with regards to women rights are seldom documented and highlighted which leads to a negative image of Pakistan at the international level. The members were of the opinion that provinces are progressing in terms of women related legislation and its implementation but this progress is not recognized. “We accept that there are gaps at the implementation level and collaborative effort is required to fill these gaps but there is an equal need to appreciate the positive work,” said Chairperson NCSW Khawar Mumtaz.

The members also highlighted the need of the availability of consolidated information on women issues. The NCSW chairperson informed the members about the recent establishment of Women Resource Centre at the National Library of Pakistan. She said that the National Women Resource Centre will cater to the reading, references and information needs of men, women, policy makers, students, researchers and journalists.

NCSW Chairperson also took feedback from the members on Literature Award for young upcoming women writers proposed by the NCSW. The members recommended giving two awards: one in the national and the other in one of the regional languages.