LAHORE: Speakers at a roundtable discussion emphasised the importance of a continued dialogue among and within religions at all levels and with a broader participation including of women to promote greater tolerance, respect and mutual understanding in the society.
The event was arranged by a local NGO in collaboration with the Netherlands Embassy and the Interfaith Advisory Commission of Pakistan.
During the roundtable, the speakers shared their valuable insight while pointing out challenges and constraints hindering equal rights of women in freedom of religion.
During the discussion, the speakers highlighted that how efforts towards gender mainstreaming were affected by rigid context and misconceptions regarding women’s role in the freedom of religion. They also discussed role of main stakeholders who can play vital role in fostering women’s role and participation in the freedom of religion.
In addition, they discussed role of the civil society, academicians and religious leaders in improving and streamlining women’s participation and the gender mainstreaming in the religious freedom. They also emphasized the key role of the government and its institutions in terms of improving women’s participation in the freedom of faith.
As the chief guest, Netherlands Ambassador Ardi Stoios-Braken supported real and lasting equality between citizens without any gender discrimination in all areas of their lives.
“We must remember that we need to dismantle foundations of gender inequality and discrimination from our societies,” she said.
