KARACHI: An integrated and effective coordination among women complaint centres and the women development department and other agencies concerned is the need of the hour to provide immediate relief to affected women, said Sindh Minister for Women Development Syeda Shehla Raza during a seminar on women empowerment at a local hotel here on Tuesday.
The seminar was organised by Pathfinder International and the United Nations Population Fund.
She narrated varied experiences that she has had working with survivors of violence while also recognising the bottlenecks at each stage. She underscored that the state would continue to carry out its duties to meet the needs of survivors, and highlighted that survivor care did not end at just access to justice. It also includes rehabilitation, reintegration and continued support for survivors.
She brought to light current movements of bringing together survivor care under one roof or centre to ensure that survivors do not have to go through multiple channels to access their needs.
“There are laws to protect women’s rights, and there is a need to make the public fully aware of these laws for which effective liaison between all stakeholders is [a] must,” the minister added.
She also said that the women who registered their complaints at the helpline 1094 of the department were being provided with legal assistance as well as protection by the department. “The SHOs and IOs must be made aware of the Domestic Violence [Prevention and Protection] Act, 2013, so that cases can be registered under the correct provisions while registering complaints,” she said.
The provincial minister appealed to civil society, especially parents, to play their role in preventing gender-based violence.
She also said that by empowering women economically, they can be made socially and financially independent.
Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Barrister Murtaza Wahab brought to light the importance of accountability and systematic change.
He emphasised the need for sensitisation across institutions — legislative, executive and judiciary — for the prevention and enhanced response to gender-based violence.
Chairperson of Sindh Women Commission Nuzhat Shireen highlighted the need for increasing budgets and human resource allocation.
She narrated in detail the obstacles faced by not just survivors, but also activists and other organisations.
Earlier, Dr Talib Lashari, technical adviser CIP-PWD, briefed the audience about the Reproductive Health Act.
Secretary of women development Alia Shahid presented recommendations for preventing gender-based violence.
Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2020
