The other 50 percent

We live in fractious times. In politics of polarisation, it is easy to assume that our point of view is the correct one. But every organization, every group, every family, and every nation must embrace open communication. In order to develop and thrive, discourse with all stakeholders is critical. And in the world, and in Pakistan, 50 percent of the stakeholders are women.

There have been numerous studies that show what happens when there is a failure to communicate with and empower women, and with the stakeholders, of both genders, who are responsible for their welfare.

A case in point is the horrific incident that occurred the night of September 8. The Eastern bypass was completed in early February by the NHA, who then asked the relevant ministry to please give a law-enforcement agency it’s charge. Sadly that did not happen until after the events of that night, when a brutal and shocking assault took place, one we are all now all painfully familiar with.

Unfortunately, the longer a nation fails to engage with the stakeholders, the more negative both sides become, creating less space for growth. We have seen this in the Punjab Assembly, where 26 pieces of legislation out of the 64 recently passed occurred because the rules were suspended to ensure they did so.

Pakistan's women are its key stakeholders. Empowering them spurs productivity and economic growth, even if we ignore the fact that gender equality is a basic human right. The government has failed to engage with the women of Punjab. The Violence Against Women Center was denied enough funding to operate in the letter and spirit of Shehbaz Sharif‘s vision. The Women on Wheels program empowering women to drive motorcycles has been scrapped. The Zehwaar-e-Taleem program which educated 460,000 girls of southern Punjab has also been stopped.

Any organization must have clear mechanisms to identify, assess and manage their stakeholders. The Women’s Commission Punjab was created for the very emergent need to identify, assess and manage the myriad issues and challenges the women of Punjab face. This government removed a very capable non-partisan commissioner. The core team of the commission has four positions, out of which two are now vacant, and the lead of one is an additional charge.

If that wasn’t enough, the gender parity report by the government no longer seems to be issued. As of December 2019, Pakistan ranked 151 out of 153 nations in gender parity.

Communicating with and addressing the needs of women has never been more important. With the Covid-19 lockdown, violence against women has risen around the world. Pakistan is not immune, with more cases of violence being registered during this time. The sad truth though is that most of our girls and women live daily in lockdown-like situations, with little recourse to help. The cases of domestic and other violence that come to society’s attention are really just the tip of the iceberg.

Pakistan ranked as the sixth most dangerous country for women globally. According to the Bureau of Statistics, more than 50 percent of women respondents of one province felt that their husbands had the right to hit them.

All organizations must invest in their stakeholders in order to flourish. Today the budget for the Punjab Women’s Department is Rs400 million, the lowest since 2015. The government highlighted their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with women’s equality and empowerment being one of these goals. Two particular initiatives were highlighted. The Women’s Income Growth and Self-reliance Program was one. But roughly only 4.5 percent of that program is government funded, and the balance is DfID funded.

The second initiative is the South Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project, which has been ongoing for many years. This is funded by IFAD, with the government funding about three percent of its cost.

Any organization with low engagement between themselves and their stakeholders is failing. In previous years, the Women’s Department would announce initiatives such as legal reform, IT and SME training, paid skill development and more. Since 2017 nothing has been added.

Instead, the government’s list of major achievements for 2019-2020 highlights an awareness campaign of the Punjab Women’s Empowerment Package Phase 2. One can find though no real evidence of what this constitutes.

Their own website makes no mention of it. It was once mentioned by the minister for human rights and religious affairs at a women’s event. Another highlight listed as a major achievement for 2019 -2020 is having celebrated International Women’s Day International, Working Women’s Day and International Girls Day.

We are moving backwards, not forwards, and we are letting women down by not dedicating resources, time, commitment, or effort to understanding and eradicating the challenges they face. This will only be possible when the government recognizes, invests and opens discourse with all its stakeholders.

The writer is a member of the Punjab Assembly.