ISLAMABAD: The Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) of the National Assembly on Tuesday launched the summary findings of the ‘Safeguarding and Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Financing Study’, highlighting the need for greater transparency in funding and stronger institutional accountability.

The launch, held in Islamabad in collaboration with the Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub (RSH) Pakistan, brought together parliamentarians, safeguarding practitioners, development partners, gender experts and other stakeholders.

According to a statement, the event focused on funding visibility and traceability, institutional accountability, gender-responsive budgeting and parliamentary oversight.

MNA Dr Shahida Rehmani, Secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, emphasised the importance of evidence-based parliamentary engagement in strengthening institutional responses to gender-based violence.

“Addressing gender-based violence requires more than strong legislation; it also requires the institutional commitment, resources and accountability mechanisms necessary to translate policy into action,” she said.

Asma Kiran, country lead of RSH Pakistan, stressed the importance of making funding for safeguarding and GBV prevention more visible and accessible to institutional scrutiny.

Participants also discussed how existing processes could better support institutional action, accountability and implementation of safeguarding commitments.

According to the statement, Fauzia Viqar, ombudsperson at the Federal Ombudsperson Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment (FOSPAH), delivered the keynote address on translating evidence into prevention, response and oversight.

Ms Viqar said the effectiveness of any policy framework depended on consistent implementation and institutional accountability.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2026