PESHAWAR, Jan 24: Four campaigns to raise awareness about women's rights were designed here on Friday at the end of a three-day workshop organized by the Aurat Foundation.

On the last day of the workshop about 30 participants, drawn from 13 districts, were divided into four groups who developed campaigns and presented them to the audience, says a press release.

Every group presented its plan for the electronic media campaign launched under the GTZ-funded Women Advisory Centre (WAC) Project of the Aurat Foundation. The campaign had already been launched on Jan 22 and would continue till September 2004. Under the campaign special programmes would be presented on Radio Pakistan, Peshawar.

Earlier on the first day of the workshop, Resident Director of the Aurat Foundation Rakhshanda Naz shared with the participants the experience of Mera Ghar, a shelter home for the women who suffered violence.

She dwelt on the concept of crisis centres for violence-hit women, the need for such places in the NWFP and how the Mera Ghar became an institution in the form of the Noor Education Trust (NET).

The second session was on women issues and underlined the problems women faced at the family, community and state levels. The third session was on women situation under the customary practices. Resource Person Zubaida Khalid shed light on Swara, honour-killing, Walwar, Serpaisy and Toor (a social stigma).

The second day of the workshop witnessed a discussion on violence against women. Uzma Mehboob in her address of welcome enumerated the objectives of the topic of the workshop.

Ms Saima of Rozan gave definition, concept and forms of violence in gender perspective.

A former judge of the Lahore High Court Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal pointed out loopholes in the Hudood Ordinances and called for changes to the laws which were introduced by a military dictator in 1980s. She also quoted statistics to bring to the fore the rising incidents of violence against women.

Four women members of the NWFP Assembly, Farah Aqil Shah of ANP, Naeema Kishwar, Rukhsana Naz, Shagufta Naz and Zubaida Khatoon of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) shared their experience as public representatives with the audience. Farah Aqil Shah demanded women representation in the provincial government, and called for inducting at least one woman minister in the cabinet.

The MMA MPAs blamed lack of Islamic teachings for rising crimes against women. They said our salvation lay in spreading the message of Islam. The MPAs said the MMA government was taking steps for the welfare of women, adding that honour-killing, Swara and divorce in one-go would be considered punishable crimes. They also responded to questions put up by the audience.