Day: December 15, 2006

MULTAN: The women living in Dar-ul-Amaan, Multan on Thursday accused the administration of malnutrition, providing them unhygienic substandard food and not giving medicines, resultantly they are suffering from different diseases. The four-member social welfare committee headed by convenor Shamim Jahan carried out a surprise visit to the Dar-ul-Amaan. It is worth mentioning here that the manager of Dar-ul-Amaan, Rakhshanda Jamil, left her office immediately after the arrival of the committee members. The inmates informed the committee’s members that most of them were suffering from serious diseases due to taking substandard food.

They alleged that water mixed milk was being provided to their children while the things sent by their families were embezzled at the gate. They said that only two soaps were given to them for entire year while only two-kg meat was cooked twice a week for all the inmates. “Whenever we tell the administration about our disease they give us sleeping pills and say that we are in tension” and added that the women were not taken to hospital even in critical condition. Talking to women, members of the committee Rabai Minal Khan, Rubina Yasmeen, and Aneesa Bukhari said that no women could be forced out of Dar-ul-Aman without the permission of court. They disclosed that a legal aid committee for women was being constituted to offer free assistance to them.
Source: B/RECORDER
Date:12/15/2006

ISLAMABAD: South Asia has the second lowest female labour force participation rate worldwide after the Middle East and North Africa due to lesser opportunities of formal employment and access to resources. Resultantly, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan rank 99th to 107 on the gender development index and are at the bottom of the distribution.
These were the findings of speakers at a session on “The underbelly of globalisation – gender and economic integration in South Asia” at the ninth sustainable development conference here on Thursday.

Dr Karin Astrid Siegmann from the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) said economic globalisation created opportunities for those endowed with productive resources, such as human and physical capital, access to formal employment and geographical mobility. She suggested that access of women and girls to resources such as rights to land, access to capital and technology, support for unconstrained mobility and equal access to education needed to be strengthened.

Dr Alessandra Mezzadri in her paper on “Indian garment sector” pointed out that recent trends in the Indian garment industry were quite discouraging, since they showed how the formation of class solidarity was purposefully suffocated by the producers’ strategies for labour control.
With reference to two of the new growing Indian garment export centres – Chennai and Bangalore – she explored strategies that showed success in preventing the formation of a conscious and cohesive working class in the Indian garment production. Moreover, she highlighted how producers’ politics of production pushed female workers to participate in the reproduction of the conditions which prevented the formation of class consciousness.

Dr Veena Jha’s study examined whether an export-oriented change in the production sector can bring changes in the socio-economic condition of women in India. Her findings concluded that empowerment of women and export orientation of state economy were significantly related, provided literacy rates and health indicators were also high. Dr Aliya Khan from the Quaid-i-Azam University said the human face of globalisation was gendered and stressed the importance of looking at all policies through a gendered lens.

Secretary ministry of women development Mehmood Saleem, who chaired the session, said Pakistan had taken many steps for empowerment of women. He said nobody can stop women from getting education and participating in politics. Meanwhile, the session on human security in South Asia concluded that the mainstream discourse on human security was gender blind and stressed the need for genderising human security and making gender sensitive laws at national and international levels.

Dr Saba Gul Khattak of SDPI, while presenting her paper on “Gender, human security – the case of Pakistan and Bangladesh” said the state not only granted security to women but was also responsible for their insecurity as reflected in the Constitution. She stressed that both law and legislation along with peoples’ attitude and perceptions needed to be sensitised. Urvashi Butalia from India said crimes against women and children were a major part of modern warfare just as they had been a decade ago during the partition of India.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/15/2006

BUREWALA: A man along with his brother burnt his wife over a domestic row at Chak No 203-EB in the jurisdiction of Gaggo police, but no case could be registered against them even after three days. Bashiran Bibi of Chak No 459-EB was married to Muhammad Sarwar and had two daughters. The couple had developed differences over domestic issues. On the day of the incident, Sarwar with his brother Muhammad Ashraf burnt her after dousing her with kerosene oil when she was preparing meal. She suffered severe burn injuries and was rushed to the THQ Hospital by the locals. When contacted, Gaggo Mandi SHO Muhammad Rafique said that they had received an application from the victim and a case would be registered against the accused according to the law. Meanwhile, the Sadr police of Chiniot registered a case against five alleged rapists of two sisters under the old Hudood Ordinance instead of the newly promulgated Women Protection Act (WPA).

The sisters — Anwari and Shahnaz — were asleep with their mother Sakina at their home in Pabbarwala village when Riaz, Nasir, Nawaz, Muhammad Ilyas and Khalid allegedly forced their entry into the house on December 13. Riaz locked the room from outside where the male members of the family were sleeping and started looking after them. Nasir and Nawaz began to rape the sisters, while Ilyas and Khalid stood guard holding guns in their hands. In the meantime the girls’ brother Riaz woke up and found the room locked from outside. He along with his brother Nawaz and cousin Asif broke opened the door. On seeing the men, the accused escaped and took away two-and-a-half Tolas of gold. The police registered a case against the accused under the old Hudood Ordinance instead of the WPA and started investigations.
Source: The News
Date:12/15/2006

ISLAMABAD: The subcommittee constituted by the Senate Standing Committee on Women Development to examine the causes of low female literacy rate met on Thursday at the Parliament House with Senator Razina Alam Khan in the chair and finalised its recommendations for onward submission to the main committee. Speaking on the occasion, the subcommittee chairperson underscored the need for stepping up efforts for promoting literacy and education among females as they form half the country’s population.

The subcommittee finalised its recommendations which include setting up of a female education directorate in the Ministry of Women Development for conducting surveys to asses the situation on ground and for evolving an appropriate methodology to enhance female literacy in the country. It also recommended maintaining a complete database on female education, posting of female teachers near their home stations, launching of an awareness campaign for rural women and preparation of promotional booklets in easy Urdu and local dialects for guidance.

The subcommittee recommended constituting of mobile teams to meet local village elders and to convince them of the utility of female education. It also proposed provision of some kind of monetary benefits to the parents who send their daughters to school along with preparation of motivational documentaries. Likewise, it advocated talking of provincial/district governments on board and launching projects for illiterate female councilors.
Source: The News
Date:12/15/2006