ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Czech Republic Tomas Smetanka on Thursday inaugurated a human rights training programme for rural women.

In his inaugural remarks, the ambassador said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic was pleased to support the training of trainers on capacity building of women rights defenders to protect rights.

Building the capacity of women to promote and protect human rights at village level is essential for a sustainable culture of peace and democracy in the society, said Sameena Nazir, the executive director of PODA, a women’s rights NGO, that organised the training.

Advocate Jehangir Jadoon, the advocate general of Islamabad and chairman Islamabad Bar Council, also addressed the workshop and highlighted the importance of defending the rights of vulnerable members of society.

He said the government of Pakistan was making efforts to provide free legal aid to the poor and had made special programmes for the protection of women and children.

The first part of the workshop was organised by PODA as a training of trainers from July 13 to 17 in Islamabad for 25 women from 20 districts of Pakistan.

Each trainee would then provide training to another 10 women in her district to increase the circle of learning and empowerment for women rights.

The five day training included practical sessions on basic understandings and concept of Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Constitution of Pakistan and develop district level monitoring, fact finding, reporting and advocacy plans for documenting women rights violations and preparing awareness and protection activities with local communities and government departments such as police, social welfare and child protection offices.

The training participants included university students, social mobilisers, journalists, community activists, police officials, teachers, health workers and representatives of community groups.

The trainees were selected from Naseerabad, Quetta, Jafferabad of Balochistan, Buner, DI Khan, Haripur, Mansehra, South Waziristan, Ghotki, Khairpur, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Bahawalnagar, Bhakkar, Chakwal, Jhelum, Khanewal, Maianwali and Rajanpur and five participants from Islamabad.

The second part the series would be held in August and include workshops on women protection laws in Pakistan and women’s rights in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023