SIALKOT, (MILLAT/APP)-Secretary Punjab Commission on the status of women Muhammad Usman said the government is committed to provide equal opportunities for socio-economic development of all citizens,particularly women.
He was addressing a function held in connection with International Women Days under the theme ‘Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030’ was organized by Baidarie Sialkot and UN WOMEN country office Islamabad here last evening.
He said that government’s committment for the advancement of women clearly manifests itself through promulgation of Protection against harassment of women at workplace Act 2010 and 2012,the Punjab Protection
of Women against violence Act 2016 formation and functioning of the Punjab Commission on the status of women,he said.
He said that Special quota for women in job opportunities at government offices was being increased from 5 to 15 percent of the total seats.
Government has special focus on providing enabling atmosphere to women for working in every field of life without facing any harassment or discrimination,he added.
Speaking on the occasion,Jamshed M.Kazi country representative UN,WOMEN said that this body aims to empower women to let them become owner of their own destiny and enable them to lead their lives in a self-reliant way.
He appreciated Sialkot based corporate sector for being forward looking and progressive in providing job opportunities to women in a non-discriminate, harassment free and gender responsive environment.
He referred to the fact that 17 leading industrial set-ups in Sialkot have already signed CEO statement of pursuance to ‘Women Empowerment Principles’.
Addressing the function,Arshad Mehmood Mirza Executive Director Baidarie stated that gender inequality index rates Pakistan as 122 of the global ranking.According to UNDP,women workforce participation rate in Pakistan stands at 22 percent only.
He stated that as of now 1534 corporate entities have signed Women Empowerment Principles jointly framed by UN WOMEN and UN Global Compact. Nineteen (19) business concerns in Pakistan have so far signed these principles and seventeen (17) out of this lot are from Sialkot.
President Baidarie Hina Noureen while addressing the function said that an overwhelming number of women workers were engaged in informal sector of economy and share double burden of completing job related assignments and taking care of domestic duties.”They are concentrated in lower-paid, lower-skill occupations with little or no social protection”.
She regretted that they were frequent victims of harassment and violence in the indoor/outdoor life and workplace.She added that in collaboration with UN WOMEN and the support provided by Benetton, NGO Baidarie was implementing the project titled Empowerment of women garment workers in Sialkot.”The project will not only succeed in enabling One thousand five hundred (1500) trained women workers to get jobs in garment/textile sector industrial units in Sialkot but will also set trends to open job market for women.
She called for social protection coverage of women workers as well,
saying it was legally available to dependent families of men workers but women workers remained deprived of this privilege.
The ceremony was largely attended by women workers,govt officials,
legal fraternity,academia,intelligentsia, political and social activists, trade union functionaries,religious leaders, civil society organizations
etc.