–Minister says talks being held with forum to set its ‘incorrect’ record straight
ISLAMABAD: Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has rejected a recent World Economic Forum (WEF) report that claimed that Pakistan is the second worst country in terms of gender equality.
She made the comment while addressing the National Assembly on Friday.
Claiming that the WEF statistics about Pakistan were “incorrect”, Mazari added that talks are being held with the forum to set its record straight.
“We are not saying that gender inequality doesn’t exist in Pakistan,” she elaborated, adding that it was the extent of the gender gap portrayed in the report that was incorrect.
Mazari further pointed out that Pakistan was placed even behind Saudi Arabia in terms of gender equality in the report, which was not correct.
“The report mentioned that no women held ministerial positions in the country, which was also incorrect. Many women have served as and continue to be ministers,” Mazari noted.
The minister added that “the government is taking steps to ensure women get their rights on an equal footing with their men counterparts”.
The report titled ‘Global Gender Gap Index 2018’ ranked Pakistan at 148th among 149 nations in terms of gender equality, being only one number ahead of Yemen.
Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and finally Yemen showed the biggest overall gender gaps of the countries surveyed.
Among the world’s 20 leading economies, France fared the best, taking 12th place overall, followed by Germany in 14th place, Britain in 15th, Canada in 16th and South Africa in 19th.
The United States continued its decline, slipping two places to 51st, with the report, in particular, blaming “a decrease in gender parity in ministerial-level positions”.
