An international moot on women empowerment organised by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in collaboration with Turkey’s Duzce University kicked off on Thursday.
The two-day conference aims to recommend effective policies and strategies to promote gender equity and encourage women leadership.
The host university aims to develop Women Business Incubation Centre for guiding, mentoring and assisting women from all walks of life.
“Ever since Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced the package for women development back in 2012, many measures have been taken for women empowerment,” provincial minister Zakia Shahnawaz said.
She highlighted that an amendment to increase the minimum marriage age for girls to 18 years is under active consideration with the objective to reduce child mortality and improve mother-child health.
“With education and skills come empowerment and the government has taken measures for free school education of all,” she said, adding that life changes with helping others.
“This is the basis of our Islamic values,” she said and urged all the educated women to “guide” less privileged ones.
While addressing the gathering, Punjab Ombudswoman Dr Mira Phailbus said women hesitate to speak about their problems, especially if these pertain to taboo issues such as harassment at workplace as they fear retaliation from the employers as well as their own families. They also fear losing their livelihood over such issues.
“The commissioners in districts could appoint focal persons to initiate hearings of complaints by women,” she said.
Every public/private institution or department is bound by law to address complaints of harassment by women and set up three member committees which must actively forward their findings to the Punjab Ombudswoman office for hearing of the matter, she explained.
