Elimination of violence against women needs integrated efforts

Report: Imran Gillani,Yousaf Kashmiri
Bagh:
Women must be included in policy making and legislation in order to provide them education, protection, employment and other basic rights. Violence against women is a social curse and could not be eliminated without changing the attitudes of people and socio-economic conditions in the society.
These views were shared by different speakers in an event organized as a part of awareness raising campaign on “violence against women”.The consultation was arranged by Action Aid in collaboration of different local civil society Organizations, including Press for Peace (PFP) Bagh chapter.
A large number of officials of government departments, women and representatives of none- governmental organizations joined the event.
Addressing the participants, coordinator Action Aid Waheed Shah maintained that responsiveness of their rights among women was indispensable to achieve equl status of women. Emancipation is essential step for the protection of their rights. No body can exploit women, if they are aware about their rights, he added.
He further said that it was the repsponsitlbity of state to provide and protect rights of all citizens; but unfortunately the state has failed to perform its obligations. He vowed that women would continue their struggle till provision of their rights.
Key speaker District Kazi M. Bashir said that the elite class has always exploited the rights of masses and particularly voiceless compressed segments have been victim of this malicious practise. He suggested that people must constitute monitoring committees to raise voice against violation of rights and infringement of law.

Naila Ali, Press for Peace (PFP) coordinator revealed that only 23 were registered from 80 cases of abduction of women in Bagh and adjoining areas after the earthquake, whilst rest of the abductions were still waiting for legal action. She called upon political parties to include women in their organizational set up because no political system could represent peoples will without representation of women in political and parliamentary institutes.
PFP Youth Leader Miss Madeeha Khursheed said that Poverty, cultural norms and religious misinterpretations were some of the reasons of violence against women. Only integrated efforts and measures could prevent and eliminate this heinous practice,she further said.
Local Women rights activist Rukhsana Kosar observed that conventionally women have been confined in homes in the name of tradition, religion and culture, however, now this exploitation must be stopped. She said that boys have been preferred on girls by parents and males ignore the domestic affairs in daily life, increasing burden on women’s shoulders that also support their families by participating in agriculture, farming and other small scale livelihood inputs.
Programme Manager DRU Zaheer ud Din Qureshi said only way of liberation and progress of women was education and economic reliance and development. Otherwise, they would live under discriminatory environment forever. Women’s must be given their rights equally, he urged.
Dr Atique Ahmad held that girls are neglected bye parents and elders since childhood which lasted severe negative impacts on their psychological, physical and mental growth.
Highlighting the role of mass media, Malik Sadiq said that the role of media was crucial in public awareness raising campaigns about violence against women and seminars, workshops and such other training events could be decisive measures in right direction.
Swera Foundation, s Miss Tazheen Akhtar, Aurot ki Aawaz’s Farzana Azad and others presented their views about the socio economic and cultural issues affecting women and girls.