ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: The 5th General Assembly of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) called on Wednesday for introducing comprehensive policies for advancement of women, youth and children through education and exposure to new dimensions of modern technology.

A resolution was adopted at a workshop on "Women, Youth and Children" at the 5th General Assembly of the AAPP here. It said that in many traditional societies in Asia women suffered from gender discrimination and denied equal rights and opportunities.

It expressed concern that women were subjected to violence and exploitation in many parts of Asia, and even where laws existed on reproductive health. It said that along with sexual exploitation women suffered from discrimination and exploitation in professional and domestic fields.

The assembly expressed concern that human trafficking persisted in some Asian states, in which women and children were the worst sufferers. Expressing concern over the situation, the resolution said that economic globalization had introduced new challenges for women.

It stressed the importance of empowering women to eliminate all forms of violence against them, recognizing the need for protection and well-being of children as a pre-requisite for development policies.

The AAPP congress stressed the need to treat all forms of violence and discrimination against women as crimes. The assembly urged all Asia states to enforce laws guaranteeing equality and set in motion procedures and arrangement to safeguard the rights of women, youth and children. -APP