LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Women Development Department Hameeda Waheed ud Din on Tuesday said that the women caucus could play an effective role in solving the problems faced by women at the local level by reviewing and amending discriminatory laws and policies, identifying cases of violence against women and violation of women rights, and providing support to victims in every district.
She expressed these views while addressing the MoU signing ceremony between Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW) and Punjab Women Parliamentary Caucus (PWPC) in Punjab Assembly.
Punjab Commission on Status of Women Chairperson Fauzia Viqar, Punjab Parliamentary Caucus President Kanwal Nauman, General Secretary Shameela Aslam and the other women parliamentarians attended the ceremony.
The minister said that this collaboration could prove to be a step towards women empowerment and would also aid capacity building of the members of PWPC in relations to special legislation for women, principles of jurisprudence and the process of legislation. The partnership would enhance the role of women parliamentarians in advocating for gender-sensitive legislation, amending discriminatory laws and policies; ensuring implementation of international and regional commitments, policies and programmes; facilitating exchange of views at different levels both nationally and internationally, she added.
Fauzia Viqar said that this collective effort would promote the cause of empowerment and protection of women rights. She urged all the stakeholders to join in supporting this collaboration to achieve sustainable development and gender equality for women in all walks of life.
“Although women problems are linked to many broader questions of social justice, their solution lies in multi-stakeholder collaboration and cooperation, so that women of all ages, classes and religions can prosper across Punjab”, PWPC Convener Kanwal Nauman concluded.