LAHORE: Women on Wheels movement founder Salman Sufi hopes to train 500,000 women to be mobile and plug them into workforce by 2025.

He was speaking at a session on “Women on Wheels movement: A Silent Revolution” at the LLF on Saturday. Syeda Henna Babar Ali was member of the discussion on how WoW made an impact while Nayab Jan was moderator of the session.

Mr Sufi said mobility of women was not taken seriously in Pakistan and they would have always to sit with a male member of their family for mobility. He said mobility was as essential as eating and it would give women the independence and not have them wait for their sons or husbands to take them around.

“We have seen around us at work that women aren’t mobile and depend on some man in family to help them,” he said. He said mobility was also a big hurdle for women not to work or focus any career.

Ms Babar said the private sector would have to do something that makes financial sense by employing women and creating openness. She said the tradition of “all boys” club needed to be broken and women should be brought into that club also.

“We have been told to control our egos since we are born. We are less egoistic than men when it comes to financial decisions,” she said. She further said they were organising seminars and programmes in educational institutions to actively recruit women in their factory.

“We have a policy of equal opportunity for men and women abiding by harassment laws,” she said.

Mr Sufi said it was more liberating to do such projects as civil society members and government have to play a role in it. “We face challenge to get support in finances when we are doing it independently,” he said.

He said by 2025 they wanted to train 500,000 women to be mobile and plug them into workforce.Ms Babar said the government should do its basic job of managing finances of country; allow freedom of individuals and corporations to decide on their own how to help society.

She said as far as harassment laws, we have sensitised men and women by inviting speakers from the ILO. “Have strong whistle blowing policy in factories when it comes to harassment,” she said.

She said there were other issues when it comes to women from conservative backgrounds who wear flowing gowns/burqa and face problems while working on machines. “I am not condemning anyone’s wardrobe choice but just care about safety and working on factory floor,” she said.

Mr Sufi further said women face harassment even in the developed world but they were trained how to tackle it and fight back.

A video was also played during the session and Mr Sufi commented, “This is the Pakistan we want to see 10 years from now and the kind that Mohammad Ali Jinnah wanted to see.”

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2020