President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women today, President Zardari said that violence against women was wrong not only on a personal level but was a profound violation of human rights, a barrier to human dignity and an obstacle to the development of societies.

“Empowering women and girls through education, skill-building and ensuring financial independence is foundational to ending the cycle of violence.

Legal frameworks, institutional support, awareness-raising and cultural transformation are equally important to end violence,“ the president said in his message.

Women’s rights activists have observed 25 November as a day against gender-based violence since 1981

He further said that the government has established support systems such as the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the Family Protection Center, besides a Toll-Free Help line 1099.

Protecting young girls from early marriage through legal instruments is very important, he said.

“Sindh is leading with 18 years as minimum age while Islamabad too has made it a law and Punjab has followed. I hope the other two provinces will follow as well.”

“I call upon the government institutions, civil society and communities to intensify their collective efforts to end violence against women and to ensure that laws are not only enacted but fully implemented, as well.

I further invite all responsible citizens to challenge all forms of discrimination, exclusion and silence, because change begins at our homes and at our workplaces.”

Meanwhile, in his message, PM Shehbaz said that the constitution of Pakistan clearly guarantees dignity and respect of women and provides equal rights.

Chairman Senate reaffirms elimination of violence against women

He also spotlighted the government’s endeavours to ensure institutional support for women affected by violence.

Moreover, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that preventing all forms of injustice against women was a collective responsibility.

“No state can establish a comprehensive system of justice without ensuring the safety and freedom of women,” he said in a statement.

Naqvi further said that Islam grants women such dignity and sanctity that it morally, religiously, and socially rejects any possibility of oppression, coercion, or exploitation.
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‎“Protecting women is a fundamental principle for preserving human dignity and maintaining social peace.“

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq also said Pakistan’s development and prosperity depend on the meaningful inclusion of women in all spheres of national life and the urgent need to eradicate violence perpetrated against them.

He urged state institutions, civil society, communities, and all stakeholders to work collectively toward ending gender-based violence and ensuring socio-economic justice for women.

As per the World Health Organization, globally, nearly one in three girls and women have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence during their lifetime − a figure that has barely changed since 2000.

On 25 November 1960, the Mirabal sisters were tragically assassinated for their fight against injustice under Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Their legacy inspired global action, leading the UN in 1993 to define gender-based violence as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life”; and, in 1999, to establish November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

However, women’s rights activists have observed 25 November as a day against gender-based violence since 1981.