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| July 27, 2006 | Thursday | Jumadi-ul-Sani 30, 1427 |
Senate body for end to women’s exploitation
ISLAMABAD, July 26: The Senate Standing Committee on Women Development on Wednesday called for an end to women’s exploitation in the media particularly through various brands’ commercials.
The participants of the committee were of the view that a certain code of ethics could be formulated in this regard, so that women should not be presented a mere show piece in media.
For the economic empowerment of women, the committee demanded reduction in markup rates on loans for women especially the micro-credits by various banks and financial institutions to improve their lot.
It also called for simplification of procedures for obtaining these loans, besides enhancing aid to destitute women by government agencies and departments.
The senate body also demanded substantial increase in gender development grants in various sectors while observing that these were not enough for skill development, training and legal aid to women.
Earlier, the secretary of ministry of women development made a detailed presentation on the steps initiated by the ministry to improve the overall condition of women who form half of the total population of the country. He also apprised them of activities carried out so far on key reforms under Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP).
The committee called for establishing more vocational training centres in more remote areas of the country, modification in laws dealing with ‘wani’ cases and demanded that women centres should remain open 24 hours and their staff be available to extend immediate help to distressed women.
The Minister for Women Development Ms Sumaira Malik assured the committee that she would herself take up the issue of high markup rates with the senior management of the Khushhali Bank with a view to bringing them down to a more reasonable level. She said that the government believed in greater participation of women in all walks of national life.
The senate body lauded various initiatives of the government particularly the recent presidential ordinance which paved the way for release of imprisoned women in connection with minor crimes and increase of women quota in the CSS examination and termed them as landmark achievements which would ameliorate the lot of women in the country. It, however, urged the government to ensure their implementation in letter and spirit.
The meeting was presided over by Senator Ms Tahira Latif and attended by senators; Ms Fauzia Fakhar-uz-Zaman, Ms Rukhsana Zuberi, Dr Ms Kausar Firdaus and Ms Sabina Rauf and senior officials of the ministry of women development.
Later the members of the senate standing committee also visited the women reporting and complaint centre located near Sitara market.
They were briefed about its working by the official incharge of the station. The women senators assured their all out help to get more funds for improving the performance of the centre.
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