SWABI, Jan 18: The people should cooperate with the NGOs to help eradicate the menace of violence against women. This was stated by the leaders of welfare bodies while presenting their views at a seminar organised by Samajee Behbood Rabita Council (SBRC) here on Thursday.

President of SBRC Roohul Amin said that some customs and certain attitudes needed to be changed to help curb the existing violence against women.

He said the local government should extend support to the welfare bodies to work for the emancipation of women from the clutches of ignorance and illiteracy.

Prof Mukhtar Khan went through the various periods of the women exploitation in differente societies in different periods. He said that only Islam guaranteed an honourable place to the womenfolk, enabling them to live with dignity and honour.

Javid Khan of Community Development Organisation said the concepts about the womenfolk in the Western society and in our society are in clash. In fact he said it is Islam which gives a respectable place to women in the society.

However, he said the unfair customs destroyed the whole structure of the society because our women have been living in a man's dominant society.

District councilor Mrs Saima Sher said that honour killing and domestic violence against women is a serious problem in our country and a long term awareness programme could educate the people about far-reaching impacts of such violence.

Local council member Shafqat Rani said that women’s problem had not taken serious by political parties, adding that politicians had confined themselves to issuing good sounding statements but they practically did nothing for women’s welfare.

She said that eradication of violence against women was only possible if there was a joint effort by social rights groups and political parties against it.