Staff Reporter
“We cannot achieve gender equality without ending violence against women and girls. I would strongly recommend Women
Parliamentary Caucuses (WPC) of National and Provincial Assemblies to review all existing laws and introduce amendments in
bills for further improving legislation to safeguard women rights and end violence,” said Speaker National Assembly Asad
Qaiser as the chief guest of an exchange of experience event with provincial Women Parliamentary Caucuses and
parliamentarians titled ‘Empowered Pakistani Women’ jointly organized by UN Women Pakistan and WPC here on Wednesday.
The event was arranged in connection with 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign
that takes place each year from 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to
10th of December, International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days campaign is used as an organizing strategy by individuals
and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and
girls.
The participating parliamentarians signed a joint resolution that reflected their collective determination to
empower Pakistani women through supporting the enactment of pro-women legislation.
MNA and Secretary WPC Munaza Hassan gave the welcoming remarks. Senator Farhatullah Babar; Firdous Shamim Naqvi,
Opposition Leader Sindh Assembly; Mehmood Jan, Deputy Speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly, and Patron-in-Chief WPC
KP; Uzma Kardar, Chairperson Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming Punjab, Aisha Mukhtar, Deputy Country
Representative UN Women Pakistan; members of national and provincial assemblies, and representatives from civil society
and media participated in the event.
Speaker National Assembly said that the government was committed to empower women and enhance their representation
in the parliament. We have 17 women parliamentary secretaries in the National Assembly that substantiates the government’s
commitment to women’s empowerment.
