Provincial Minister for Human Rights and Minorities’ Affairs Khalil Tahir Sandhu has said that the Punjab Human Rights and Minorities Affairs department will take full support of Pakistan’s first Violence Against Women Centre (VAWC) for the protection of women’s rights. He said that the centre was another milestone in the government’s efforts to safeguard women against violence and persecution, providing them justice and related facilities under one roof.
He stated this during a meeting with the representatives of civil society and lawyers here on Sunday.
The minister said that the initiative also focuses on the implementation of the charter of international human rights conventions, adding that the provincial government had taken a number of steps for the protection and promotion of women’s rights, empowering them and helping improve the justice system.
Sandhu said that the VAWC will provide the services of first aid, FIR lodging, police reporting, prosecution, medical examination and treatment, psychological evaluation and counseling, as well as post-trauma rehabilitation.
Women from minority communities will also be facilitated through this centre, he said.
The minister also highlighted that the government had allocated Rs 30 million for educational scholarships to talented students from minorities annually. A five percent quota of employment for minorities in government jobs has also been implemented and minority candidates are now getting jobs in all the government departments and institutions including the police, judiciary, district administration and civil services.
The women from minority communities are being provided skills training through vocational training institutes including TEVTA and PVTC to enable them to earn their living.
MPA Shehzad Munshi along with leaders of minority communities were also present during the meeting.
