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MoWD joins hands with Unifem to end violence against women

ISLAMABAD (November 27 2007): The caretaker Women Development Minister Shahipa Jamil has said that the ministry will join hands with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (Unifem) and private sector to end all types of violence against women along with other stakeholders.

She was addressing the launching ceremony of revised programme ‘End Violence against Women’ started by Unifem here on Monday. The ceremony was also attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Nisar Memon, Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad, Deputy Chairman Erra, Rukhshunda Naz, Executive Director Aurat Foundation Peshawar, Idrees Baig, Secretary NCSW and Secretary MoWD Mehmood Saleem Mehmood. She said that though the government is slow in implementing and in formulating laws on Women. Criticism is not the solution of the matter, she said.

Shahida said that the first responsibility of the government is to ascertain where the violence against women exists in the society adding social engineering is very thorny issue to end prejudices against women.

Women rights are also part of human rights and every person of the society must be concerned about these rights, the Minister said. “The government must have to deal with each and every department and must develop co-ordination with the NGOs”, she said.

Nisar Memon, the caretaker Information and Broadcasting Minister, said that the caretaker government is a partner of entire drive to end violence against women.

He said that it is the responsibility of the caretaker government to conduct fair and transparent elections adding how can election be fair and transparent if 48 percent of the women of the country will be prevented to go to the polling stations for voting.

Bilquees Edhi is internationally renowned name and recognised world over for her commitment to help the destitute women, Justic Majida Rizvi worked for women rights, Dr Nafees Sadiq is famous internationally for her services for the cause of women rights, the Minister said.

General Nadeem, Deputy Chairman Erra, said that women crisis centres will be established in the earthquake areas in co-ordination with the Women Development Ministry.

Every deprived family was given Rs 3,000 per month for their rehabilitation and Erra has launched micro-credit programme to provide Rs 15,000 for the families who lost their supporting male head in the earthquake and reduced to a woman headed family and after the payment of Rs 3,000 remaining 12,000 will be granted to the women to start cottage industry to support heir family, he said.

Rukhshunda from Aurat Foundation, Peshawar said that the government always remained negligent to finalise the bills to present in the Assembly as ‘Bill to curb domestic violence against women’ and ‘Harassment against women at the work places’ are still lying with the Ministry and even at the time of dissolution of the Assemblies, the Ministry failed to present the bills in the parliament for consideration.

Alice H. Shackelford, Country Programme Director Unifem, said that interaction campaign to end violence against women is started and 16 days activism plan is prepared by Unifem to join hands with every department of the country to raise awareness on violence against women.

Idrees Baig Secretary NCSW highlighted the prospects of the project and said that the project will bring change in the mindsets of the general masses and massive awareness will be given to the general public to end violence against women.

Secretary MoWD Mehmood Saleem Mehmood said that passage of Women Protection Bill and Honour Killing Bill is the biggest achievement of the Ministry as these were passed with the strenuous efforts of the Ministry and the Ministry on the recommendations of the NGOs and civil society organisations.

Source: Business Recorder

Date:11/27/2007