Minister lauds women’s achievements

LAHORE : Provincial Minister for Women Development Ashifa Riaz Fatyana has said that International Women’s Day is dedicated to honour the achievements and contribution of women in various fields.

She said the day also reflected upon what more was needed to be done to accelerate efforts for gender equality and women’s rights. This year the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), and the Punjab government brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life, she said.

She expressed these views during a ceremony held in connection with International Women’s Day here on Sunday.

The minister said that the Women Development Department was committed to supporting the implementation of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 within the government departments while working with ombudsperson offices and other relevant departments.

She thanked UNFPA for its continued commitment and support to the ministry for putting in place the mechanism and procedures to address gender-based violence.

Women Development Department Secretary Ms Ambreen Raza shared the progress of the department since its inception in 2012. She said it was working closely with UNFPA to address gender-based violence by working towards a multi-sectoral mechanism. The coordination mechanism would identify and evaluate the essential services to be delivered by key sectors i.e. health, social services, police, justice and governance, she said.

Ms Raza said the platform would have representatives from each sector to promote coordination.

The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Ms Irum Bukhari, additional chief secretary, Energy Department. The discussion was titled “Women Breaking Barriers: Safe and Dignified Workplace.”

The panel comprised prominent personalities from civil society, lawyers, technical experts and woman rights activists who shared reflections on their work for advocating women’s rights, changing the environment with respect to dignified workplaces, and the existing challenges.

The event also marked 10 years of the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 by highlighting its impact on the lives of women participating in the workforce, the lessons learned over the years, the challenges that still hampered its implementation in every walk of life, and the way forward.

The event was attended by parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic missions, government officials and the representatives from development organisations, private sector, UN agencies and the media.