Provincial Minister for Women Development Ashifa Riaz Fatyana has said that International Women’s Day (IWD) being celebrated all over the Wolrd, the day is dedicated to honouring the achievements and contribution of women in various fields. He said that day also reflect upon what more needs to be done to accelerate efforts for gender equality and women’s rights. This year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), the Government of Punjab and brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life. He expressed these views during a ceremony in connection with international women day in Lahore on Sunday. Ceremony attended by parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic missions, government officials, representatives from development organizations, private sector, UN agencies and media persons. Speaking to the occasion, Ms Ambreen Raza, Secretary, Women Development Department shared the progress of WDD since its inception in 2012. She said WDD is working closely with UNFPA to address gender-based violence by working towards the multi-sectoral mechanism, the coordination mechanism would identify and evaluate the essential services to be delivered by key sectors i.e. health, social services, police, justice and governance. Ms Raza said, the platform will have representatives from each sector to promote coordination and reflection based on the experiences from the field and guide policy and advocacy actions to be promoted within and across the sectors. The minister during his address said that the Women Development Department is committed to support the implementation of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 within government departments while working with Ombudsperson offices and other relevant departments. He also thanked UNFPA for their continued commitment and support to the ministry to putting in place the mechanism and procedures to address gender-based violence. The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Ms Irum Bukhari, Additional Chief Secretary Energy Department, the discussion focused on Women Breaking Barriers: Safe and Dignified Workplace. The panel comprised of prominent personalities from civil society, lawyers, technical experts and women rights activists and shared reflections on their work for advocating women’s rights, changing the environment with respect to dignified workplaces, and the existing challenges. The event also marked ‘10 Years of Protection of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2010’ by highlighting its impact on the lives of women participating in the workforce: lessons learned over the years, the challenges that still hamper its implementation in every walk of life, and the way forward.
