17 February 2004	Tuesday	25 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 16: Speakers at a seminar on Monday urged the government to bring in the agriculture workers in to the social security net, which was available to the industrial workers.

They were speaking at the seminar on "Violence against women: poverty among agricultural women," organized jointly by the National Association of Business, Professional and Agricultural Women and the Karachi chapter of the Soroptimist International.

A book, "Women victims of social evils," written by Brig (retd) AA Hayat was also launched on the occasion. The speakers said that though majority of the people lived in the rural areas and were comparatively poorer, the government had yet not provided them with the social security, leaving them helpless in case of medical or any other emergency.

They said that landlords, on whose lands the people worked, be made to contribute to the government efforts for the provision of social security, like the industrialists were made to contribute for their workers.

They said that though the religion and the Constitution guaranteed many rights to the women, these were not being given to them owing to the socio-cultural traditions prevailing in the male-dominated society.

They said that the government had signed many international agreements, including the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and it was bound to bring all its laws in conformity with its international commitments, for which very little work had been done.

They said that even a few laws that had been formulated to provide some relief and safeguards to the women, were not being implemented properly. They demanded that equal opportunities be provided to the women, who, whenever provide an opportunity, had proved that they were equally efficient like their male counterparts.

They said that harassment of the female started the day she was born, as the male child in the family was most of the time given priority over the female child in food, clothes, education etc by the parents.

They said that when grown up, the women had to face harassment the moment they came out of their homes for any purpose, be it for education, employment etc. At the bus stop, in public transport and even at the places of employment harassment, particularly sexual one, was a common occurrence, the speakers added.

They said that the country was being run by the "law of the rulers," and the situation could not improve unless it was run by the rule of law, adding that it was the duty of the state to protect the life, honour and property of its citizens.

They urged the audience, in general and the non-governmental organization working for the women's rights, in particular, to approach the women legislators, who were in a sizable number in the parliament, to urge them to formulate specific laws to safeguard the rights of the women.

They urged the government to provide long-term soft loans to the women, so that they could start some economic activities and supplement their family income. The economic empowerment would also elevate their status in the family and they could play a role in decision-making.

They said that Karo-kari, honour killings etc were a product of socio-cultural traditions and had nothing to do with religion, adding that such traditions were protected by the fuedals to control the women.

One of the speakers, a leading religious scholar, said that he had recommended to the government to provide family quarters to the prisoners serving lengthy sentences, so that their families could meet them.

He said that he had also suggested the industries be set up near the prisons, so that the prisoners could earn some money, which they could send to their families.

Former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Nasir aslam Zahid, Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chief Mufti Munibur Rehman, Sindh Secretary Hashim Leghari, NABPAW chief Shameim Kazmi, Fatima Surriya Bajiya, Qaiser Rehman, and others spoke at the seminar, which was presided over by a poor agricultural woman, Zainab Bibi, who belonged to Jati Taluka. Abida Jalal, Seema Raza and others recited poetry at the seminar, conducted by Fatima Hassan.