NA speaker calls for policies in support of rural women

National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mira said that rural women were one of the most vulnerable and marginalised segments of the society despite their significant role in the rural economy.
She said that they were also subject to violence, economic exploitation and lack of basic healthcare. She said this on the occasion of the International Rural Women’s day being commemorated throughout the globe under the auspices of United Nations on Monday.
Fehmida said that rural women comprised a major chunk of the population and played a significant role in the agriculture sector as well as rural development, however their contributions were not recognized at any level.
She said that with the advent of the latest technology in the agricultural sector, the involvement of women in agricultural work had not decreased. In addition to working in the fields they also had to care for children, older persons and do household chores.
She underlined the need for an official recognition of women’s participation in the national economy and asked the government to devise policies for the betterment of women in the country to ensure their rights.
Fehmida said that women in the rural socio-cultural panorama were confined to household cores and laborious work in the fields and did not have access to education. She said that education was an inalienable right of every individual and it was imperative to educate rural women to make them understand and face their diverse problems. She asked the government to allocate funds to establish schools for females in rural areas.
The speaker stressed the need for a provision of shelter, livelihood and medical assistance to rural women in affected areas on a priority basis. She asked the government to extend the SME network to rural areas where enterprising rural women could have access to credit facilities to empower them economically. She also stressed the need to establish training and display centres at a Tehsil level for rural female artisans, so they could sell their craft.