November 28, 2014 – Pakistan Gender News

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

Call for women empowerment

PESHAWAR: As Pakistan continues to face the effects of complex emergencies and natural disasters, very little importance has been given to the role of women in the process of social reconstruction.

This was highlighted by several speakers during the launch of the United Nations Women programme titled “Women Leadership in Social Reconstruction”, which is being financially supported by the Danish government.

The launching ceremony was hosted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Social Welfare and Women’s Empowerment Department, in collaboration with the UN Women.

Addressing the participants, Danish Ambassador Jesper Moller Sorensen said, “Every time there is a disaster or conflict, it is the women who immediately come on the frontline to take care of their families, whether they are young, aged, sick or living with disabilities. They are the most affected. They need the most support.”

The Danish ambassador said that in vulnerable countries such as Pakistan, it was even more critical to understand the gender implications during and after natural disasters and crisis.

“By integrating gender concerns in the mainstream planning of peace, security and humanitarian actions, not only do we promote women leadership and participation but we also build communities and countries to become disaster resilient”, he added.

UN Women Pakistan Deputy Country Representative Sangeeta Thapa said that the programme aimed to respond directly to equality principles written in the constitution. “To us, social reconstruction process means to facilitate the reintegration of dislocated persons into their homes and villages and revitalise socio-economic activities in the region. In the context of gender, it means empowering women enough to be able to effectively participate in the decision-making process at all levels of relief and rehabilitation,” she added.

She appreciated the support of the Danish government that would give continuity to the UN Women’s work in ensuring that peace, security and humanitarian actions are shaped by the leadership and participation of women.

Special Adviser to Chief Minister on Social Welfare and Women’s Empowerment Dr Mehar Taj Roghani said that serious gaps existed in emergency preparedness and disaster risk management capacities. She appreciated the collective partnership to overcome these gaps to promote stabilisation, peace and security in the region.

Women leaders from the community shared painstaking testimonies from the field with a request for women representation, participation and leadership to be ensured in social reconstruction processes and peace initiatives in areas of complex emergencies and disasters.

The funding from the Danish government would be utilised to support the UN Women’s programme to work with the federal government and key partners in enhancing synergies so as to facilitate regional networking and partnerships; support advocacy for in-country and cross-regional programming on integrating gender concerns in peace initiatives; undertake training for trainers on gender and peacekeeping with civil armed forces, as well as strengthen capacity for gender responsive policy frameworks and action plans.

Daily Times

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

Couple shot dead over matrimonial dispute

SHIKARPUR: A matrimonial dispute between two families led to an armed clash which left a couple dead and another person wounded in Murtaza Jaffari village near Garhi Yasin in the early hours of Thursday.

Officials at the Golo Daro police station said that a group of armed men belonging to the Khosa tribe stormed a house in the village and opened fire on the sleeping couple, belonging to the Bhatti community, killing them on the spot.

The victims were identified as Rahib Bhatti and Sanam Bhatti. Gul Hassan Bhatti, the father of Rahib Bhatti, also sustained bullet wounds.

All the victims were taken to the Garhi Yasin Taluka Hospital, where Gul Hassan Bhatti was admitted for treatment and a post-mortem examination of the two bodies was performed.

The bodies were later handed over to the heirs.

DAWN

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

35 little girls moved to Sindh govt shelter

By: Shazia Hasan

KARACHI: As they were given the boxes of chicken biryani and mango juice, the little girls seated on revolving chairs around a big conference table turned down their gaze and bringing little hands together recited the prayer they had been taught to say before a meal to thank the Almighty.

At the Darul Banaat child protection unit in Shanti Nagar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, on Thursday, all seemed far less overwhelmed than they had been a day ago at the SSP Central office in Gulberg where many men claiming to be their guardians or relatives had shown up to take them home.

“Getting them out of that environment did them a lot of good,” said Nuzhat Fatima, director at the social welfare department of Sindh. “The special assistant to chief minister on social welfare, Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, was directed by the chief minister to take good care of the children until it is decided between the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments what to do about them and where to send them,” she added.

Most of the girls hail from the tribal agency of Bajaur.

Their number increased from 26 initially to 36 by late Wednesday evening as police raided different places on information collected from the woman who had been found with the 26 girls at an abandoned two-room house in C-1 Area of Liaquatabad. After questioning the woman, Gul Khanum, the police raided a place in Fatima Jinnah Colony where they recovered seven girls.

“Then three more girls were recovered by the police in Korangi. The woman is still being questioned by the police. Soon after bringing the children here in the early hours of Thursday, we got them measured and cleaned up after which we helped them dress in new clothes, which they love,” said Ms Fatima.

Only one girl, who was not from Bajaur, had been reunited with her family in Karachi early on Thursday, she said. “Now we have 35 girls,” said Ms Fatima, as two little girls holding their new Barbie Dolls, which they had covered with their old pink hijabs, walked past the others sitting around the table.

Meanwhile, Fayyaz Sherpao, a political agent, arrived from Bajaur Agency to take the children back home.

Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui said it was better to send the children back home with the political agent. “They have their own culture and norms. We cannot take chances where children are involved. The sooner this matter is resolved the better,” he said.

Rasheed Khan, who accompanied the political agent and was there taking attendance of the 35 girls and noting down their names on a list, said the girls looked better as they knew they would be going home soon. “We have asked the Sindh government to hand over the girls to us so that we can take them back home. As yet we don’t know of their parents but once we reach Bajaur they can contact us and take the children from us,” he said.

However, assistant director (child welfare) at Darul Banaat Seema Nazli said: “It would be better to first trace their real families.

“The process will obviously take time but the girls are safe with us here. We are all here to take good care of them. So many of us haven’t even slept a wink since last night when the children were brought here. It should be everyone’s aim to get them to their real homes.”

Suddenly, a little girl started coughing profusely. “Get her some water please,” her friend, Kainat, asked the woman made in charge of taking care of them by the welfare office. “She is my friend, Asiya, and she has been vomiting since yesterday. She also has fever,” said Kainat, while speaking to Dawn in Pushto.

“I have another friend, Sana, who also is not well. But she has been like that since I have known her. She is fine one moment and then she starts shaking and vomiting, too,” the little girl described her friend’s condition that sounded like the child was suffering from epileptic seizures.

Confusion over girls’ whereabouts

Earlier, the atmosphere outside the SSP Central office at Gulberg was found very different from Wednesday’s. “No one is permitted inside. The girls are not with us,” said a constable posted outside.

On inquiry about their whereabouts, it was said they were handed over to the Ansar Burney Trust but a call to Ms Shagufta Burney revealed that the children were not with them. “Ansar Burney sahib has been trying to help ever since he found out about the poor children. But they are not with us,” she said.

Another call to Edhi Foundation also couldn’t achieve any positive results. “The children are not with us,” said spokesman Anwar Kazmi. “Maybe you should check with the Darul Aman Panah,” he suggested this reporter.

At Panah, the guard at the gate quickly shook his head. “We have been approached by numerous people since this morning asking about the little madressah girls. They are not with us,” he announced.

As efforts were continued to trace the girl, it later emerged that they had been shifted to Darul Binnat child protection unit and were under Sindh government protection.

It was decided that the girls would be handed to their parents only after the completion of judicial process.

DAWN

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

Police dept suffering from gender discrimination

By: Rabia Ali

KARACHI: By the time she marched back to the Clifton police station, Syeda Ghazala had become a relic for her subordinates. A constable was distributing sweets amid cheers of jubilation on her removal. Another officer pompously sat in her chair. Little did they know that the party was soon to turn sour.

“They did not know I was reinstated,” laughed Ghazala mischieviously. “So when I came back and saw them having mithai, I forced them to eat more to celebrate my reinstatement.”
Between last Saturday and Sunday, Ghazala, was demoted as an SI, suspended as the SHO, and then reverted reportedly due to public and media pressure. With Ghazala’s induction as the first female SHO of the province earlier in April, the Sindh Police boasted that it was promoting women officers in a bid to eradicate gender discrimination in the force.

Male officers on higher ranks claimed they were appointing women on key policing positions so they would deal with mainstream crime and criminals. Eight months on, little has changed for these officers, professionally.

Three women police officers were inducted as SHOs. Of these, Ghazala was dismissed and then reinstated; Anila Qadir has been removed while Zaibunissa was accused by her superior of taking bribes. The only female head muharrir of a male police station, Naseem Malik, has also been removed.

“It is difficult to survive among men. They don’t want to take orders from a woman,” said one officer. They come up with a number of reasons and complaints for their removals and transfers. “When women SHOs are appointed, there is no business of bribes and commissions. We are appointed directly and we don’t pay anything. This irritates our superiors,” said one officer.

The female officers claim that when they take over a police station, corruption goes down. “My SSP was unhappy that I wasn’t giving any money to him. We also try to expose the dirty businesses of police officers such as those involved in land grabbing.”

SHO Ghazala was accused of not registering the FIR of an influential person, and said to be unable to control crimes in her area. Soon after, however, she was reinstated on the orders of the Karachi police chief AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebo.

“It is all lies that I am not performing well. In my eight months, I have arrested 509 criminals, seized 52 illegal arms and eight kilogrammes of drugs.” As she speaks, a man with a big yellow file shows the records of the criminals arrested.

Pointing at the laborers working in the police station, Ghazala adds, “A separate area is being built for cars that are seized. I am also setting up changing rooms for officers and restrooms. No other SHO had done this in the past.”

Bahadurabad SHO Zabinunissa was accused of taking a bribe worth Rs0.25 million. An inquiry found her to be innocent and reinstated her. It was the DSP who had taken the bribes and had wrongly accused her of doing so.

Anila Qadir, who was posted as the SHO of the Jauharabad police station in Gulberg Town for a little over two months, says she was removed because the senior officials thought she would not be able to handle the area during Muharram. “I felt this was unfair with me. They should have shown more trust and confidence in me,” she says sadly.

For his part, Thebo refuted claims that women officers were discriminated against. “We would like to encourage women officers to hold key positions as women are honest and less corrupt. The problem is that they are lesser in number, and it is difficult to find good officers.”

Express Tribune

November 28, 2014November 28, 2014

Punjab to name college after Malala

MINGORA: A schoolteacher hailing from Gujrat in Punjab has decided to establish a college in the name of Malala Yousafzai.

Speaking at a press conference in Swat Press Club on Thursday, schoolteacher Ihsanul Haq said that he had intended to set up a college in Jalalpur area in Gujrat, which would be named after Malala Yousafzai.

“Establishing a college is aimed at promoting education and provide education opportunities to the girl students on international level,” he said. He said that progress and prosperity of the country was in educating the nation and no country could achieve economic stability without educating the people. “Malala Yousafzai’s steps for promoting girls education in the region are appreciable,” schoolteacher Ihsanul Haq added.

The News