Women’s rights protection mechanisms: Panellists for allocating appropriate resources

FAISALABAD: Panellists said it is imperative to allocate sufficient and appropriate resources toward women’s rights protection mechanisms.

Lawmakers and authorities must prioritise addressing gender-based discrimination and violence against women. The state must uphold equality of rights and establish inclusive governance frameworks to effectively tackle gender and intersectional issues.

Panellists urged the government to incorporate the recommendations of the CEDAW Committee by amending the legal marriage age, raising it from 16 to 18 for both sexes, and making it mandatory to register marriages with a national identity card.

Additionally, they emphasized the crucial role of media in raising awareness about gender equality and educating the public on relevant laws, policies, and helplines.

These demands were voiced during a seminar on International Women’s Day, organized by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Tearfund Global.

The event was attended by over 120 representatives, including government officials, former parliamentarians, sanitation workers, domestic workers, lawyers, lecturers, research scholars, out-of-school female youth, and religious clergy.

Keynote speakers included Shazia George (Chairperson, AWAM), Sonia Javed (Executive Director, AWAM), Jamshed Gill (Representative, Tearfund Global), Fatima Saeed (Lecturer, Beaconhouse International College), Dr. Najma Afzal (Former Parliamentarian), Rida Sandhu (Journalist), Iqra Amjad (Women with Disability Advocate), and Muqadas Billu (Research Student) appreciated the efforts of successive governments for introducing laws, policies and establishing human rights institutions.

The speakers simultaneously called upon the authorities and political decision-makers for playing their due role to ensure compliance of the international human rights standards specifically the recommendations of CEDAW Committees.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025