Gender equality: ‘Empowered women make up strong societies’

The consultative workshop titled was organised by the Gender Reforms Action Plan of the Women Development Department.

District Coordination Officer Najam Ahmad Shah, Divisional Commissioner Ejaz Muneer, executive district officers and representatives of several non-government organisations attended the workshop.

Muneer, who opened the event, said there was a need for brining women in the development sector by providing them opportunities in different fields.

He said that the Punjab government had taken revolutionary steps in this direction in the form of the Women Empowerment Package 2012 for the protection of women’s rights.

He highlighted the need for implementation on women empowerment package and other laws for women’s welfare.

The commissioner also said that developing societies had to abandon conservative mindsets to give women the status they deserved.

He urged the participants to implement the Women Empowerment Package at their offices to achieve gender equality.

The DCO said that there was a need to understand women’s rights to be able to protect them.

He said that the city district government had taken various steps for the welfare of women and for the provision of a healthy environment at workplace.

Gender specialist Rana Shahid Mehmood highlighted the salient features of the Women Empowerment Package.

He said that the Punjab Assembly had approved an amendment in the Punjab Land Revenue Act to allow transfer of inherited property to women.

He said that a Rs100 million fund had been set up for the establishment of day care centres for working women at government offices.

He said women were given an additional three-year age relaxation for induction in government jobs.

He said different notifications by the Punjab government had been circulated in various departments relating to the reformation of women economic and social status.  

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2013.