HYDERABAD, March 27: Speakers at a seminar on Saturday vowed to highlight issues of women and called for abolition of customs like the jirga system and karo-kari.

They said women should raise their voice for their rights.

The Sindh Nari Seminar on “Society saved from violence on women; an ideal society” was organized by the Sindh Development Society in collaboration with Oxfam at the Sindhi Language Authority.

Sindh Information Secretary Mehtab Akbar Rashdi spoke at length on the condition of women in Sindh and issues concerning them in various fields, including social injustices. She discussed the issues in the light of Islamic teachings as well.

She said women had to face all kinds of social setbacks and they were emotionally persecuted, adding that men and women were presented in the society separately although their progress was dependent on each other.

“The society has, however, undergone a change because there were times when women’s issues were not discussed and parents did not send their daughters to schools. But girls are being sent to schools now”, she observed. She said the change had not been brought about by women alone as men had an equal input.

“It is in fact social disparity that women are considered weak thus they are meted out a shabby treatment. Even men are enslaved”, she remarked. She observed that the issues would remain unresolved as long as women did not raise their voice for their rights. She said a father should be proud of his children and not ‘sons’.

She observed that the prevailing unrest in the society was largely due to our departure from Islamic teachings. She said people continued to adopt different customs that have no connection with our religion.

“Islam allows marriages of women anywhere provided men are Muslims but here in our society inter-communities marriages are not encouraged”, said the information secretary who also came hard on parents who did not seek consent of their daughters while marrying them.