PESHAWAR, March 5: The National Commission on the Status of Women and the Ministry of Women Division lack coordination on various issues and the former is not even informed about the steps taken by the government for the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

It is learnt that the Ministry of Women Division and other departments have been ignoring the women commission while formulating policies pertaining to women development and women rights.

The chairperson of the women commission, Justice Majida Rizvi (retired) also conceded that the commission and the ministry lacked coordination and claimed that the commission was not even informed about preparation of a vital report in accordance with the requirement of the CEDAW.

Talking to Dawn by telephone, Justice Majida Rizvi said that the commission was neither taken into confidence nor consulted for preparing a report of CEDAW though the report was mandatory.

“The commission doesn’t even know when the report will be submitted though it is due this week. Last year the report was submitted twice to the UN, but it was sent back,” she observed.

A member of the commission from NWFP, Bushra Gohar, said: “The report submitted twice by Pakistan was sent back because discrimination against women in one form or the other still prevails in the society.”

“The federal government should discuss the reports submitted to the UN and they should be circulated for debate and discussions at the provincial level and the commission should be consulted in this regard,” she observed.

Pakistan had ratified Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women in March 1996 and it was binding on the government to submit a report to the United Nations.

The UN Commission on the Status of Women had also shown concern over customary practices, law of evidence and blasphemy law.

The 1973 Constitution says that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex, but no practical steps were taken by the government to implement CEDAW.

The women commission which is just a recommendatory body is neglected by the women division though it is dependent on the ministry of women division. The commission is also facing many logistic and structural problems.

The government had established women commission in 2000 and claimed at the time that it would be taken into confidence on all vital issues pertaining to women development. However, Ms Gohar said, that commitment was not fulfilled.—Bureau