National News

ISLAMABAD, (MILLAT+APP): There is an urgent need for
unity and unison in order to ensure women rights, while
boosting up collective efforts with focus on eradication
of this menace from community.
Speakers on Friday expressed these views at the
launching ceremony of 16-Day of Activism against Gender-Based
Violence.
Sharing their remarks on the moot, organized by Pothohar
Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA), they stressed the
need to spur concrete efforts in the direction of gender equality,
women’s rights and women’s empowerment.
Founder PODA, Samina Nazir speaking on the occasion stressed
to achieve goals of this year campaign: ‘Raise money to end violence
against women and girls’.
She said it is imperative to fulfill international commitments
to end poverty, disease and hunger, combat inequalities and ensure
peace and prosperity.
In this regard, the government needs to plan all-out measures
to target Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to reduce gender gap
and promote women empowerment, she opined.
Chairing the session, human rights activist I.A. Rehman, said
they all need to be proactive to respond to any situation related
to violence against women that is happening on so many levels and in
various forms. “We all need to raise voice for the rights of marginalized
communities of the country”, he added.
Regional Manager of PODA, Naheeda Abbasi said they are
witnessing more violence in the society specifically in rural
areas for which societies and the government need to be on
same understanding level.
“Societies where all human beings both men and women can
utilize their full potentials to add to the betterment of their
communities could achieve their economic goals”, she shared.
She stressed on the need to allocate more resources for the
rural communities to end violence against women and girls.
“In rural areas efforts from awareness raising from human
rights’ perspective to proper implementation of laws are most needed
where violence is rampant in its every form,” Naheeda said.
Advocate Hifza Bukhari termed the government’s recent efforts
to pass two laws on anti-rape and anti-honour killing as a good
initiative.
However, she laid emphasis on effective implementation of the
laws as criminals involved in heinous crimes against women have
impunity.
She said there is a dire need to make the offense
“non-compoundable”. She said women need to have a mechanism of
security and safety for their protection prior to the incidents of
honor related crime.
Hifza said, “The structural discrimination against women needs
series of rigorous efforts at all levels from the communities to
policy makers to understand and address the inherent bias against
women that show patriarchal mindset”.
It requires change on all levels. For this all are needed to
put their best efforts to bring change at all levels, she remarked.
In the end renowned poetess, Kishwar Naheed also enthralled
participants of the event with their heart touching verse and earned
a great applause.