Like other parts of the country, the International Women's Day 2019 was observed in the provincial capital on Friday with an appeal to authorities concerned to put an end to violence against women by strictly implementing existing laws and making coordinated legislations to empower them further.
Carrying play cards and banners, a number of civil society activists including women, men, children, students and people hailing from different walks of life took out rallies and held demonstrations to mark the day. Many schools, colleagues and universities also celebrated the event by arranging several events, seminars and conferences to mark the achievements of women and to sensitize people about their importance in society and what issues they are experiencing in these days.
Addressing a ceremony, Punjab Minister for Women Development Ashifa Riaz Fatyana said since 2012, the focus of the Women Development Department (WDD) has been on policy making and legislation. "But, now with the PTI government in power, the WDD is emphasizing on implementation and service delivery," she said. The Minister while talking about the importance of women as catalysts of change in the society said that "no society can achieve its potential with half of its population disenfranchised, disadvantaged and disempowered".
She also briefed about the Punjab Women Hostel Authority (PWHA), an initiative which is in the pipelines to provide safe residential facility to working women. "The authority will be mandated to issue license to private women hostels, ensuring standardized facilities and a check and balance for safety and security of female residents. With this regulatory framework, we will make sure that no woman, who has a potential and desire to work, stops working because of lack of facilities, like accommodation and daycare centers. The Punjab government will ensure that workingwomen get a secure, affordable and decent living experience in public as well as in private hostels throughout Punjab," Fatyana promised.
The Minister said "Every women hostel will also have a daycare center so that women can work in peace without worrying about their kids leaving behind. The application procedure of the daycare centers has also been eased to speed up the process. Now, all you have to do is to visit WDD website, fill a simple application form and send it to us. The Punjab government aims to double the number of daycare centers in Punjab in 2019, she added.
She said that for our department, the women and girls are not just on the agenda, they themselves are the agenda and that is what our theme of women's day is, 'Aurat Baakhtiyar.
The Minister and the audience also highly lauded the spellbound performance of renowned artists, Erfan Khoosat, Sarmad Khoosat and Sania Saeed. The performance highlighted grave issues of women like violence, honor killing, acid burning, and harassment.
The WDD secretary said that the targets of their department have been realigned with Punjab Growth Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for achieving inclusive sustainable socio-economic empowerment of women in the Punjab.
Deputy Country Representative of the UN Women Punjab Ayesha said the UN Women is working in collaboration with the Punjab government to create an environment to translate, monitor and report on the implementation of gender equality commitment.
Punjab chief minister's spokesperson Dr Shahbaz Gill, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Fauzia Viqar, Parliamentarians and representatives of the government departments along with the national and international NGOs and media persons also attended the event.
Meanwhile, Sangat Development Foundation, a NGO, held a march outside the Lahore Press Club (LPC) to mark the day and its Director Asma Amir said that women do not need only representation but powers too. She said that no doubt women are given representation in the parliament through quota system but they should be given more in mainstream political process with powers to pursue their development agenda.
Likewise, the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore also marked the International Women's Day with the theme "Better the Balance, Better the World, Balance for Better".
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Shafaat Yar Khan said that many men struggle for women's rights in history. He also shared examples of past women who won many noble prizes by using their knowledge, skills and abilities.
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