By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)
Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani has said that city administration would provide all possible support to the Commission on Status of Women to achieve its objective for the social, economic, political and legal rights of women .
He appreciated the idea of establishing the Sindh commission on Women Status and observed that it would help achieve the goals of the government initiative to provide women equal opportunities in society.
He was talking to a 4-member delegation of Sindh Commission on the Status of Women headed by Ms. Nuzhat Shirin which met him at his office.
The meeting discussed various programs to be organized by the Commission in coordination with the city administration.
The Commissioner was appreciative of this initiative and assured of his office’s full support. He also appreciated the idea of organizing programs by the Commission for celebration of Women Day to be held on February 12 in the city.
The Chairperson Nuzhat Shirin gave an overview of the SCSW activities carried out in its first year and shared the Commission’s newsletter with the commissioner..
She informed that SCSW is going to observe the day on Feb 12 on a under large-scale. The celebrations in this regard will be held at Arts Council Karachi.This year, theme will be “Women’s Resistance Against Discrimination”,
The event will recall not only historical women’s movement but will also discuss how far Sindh has come close in achieving gender equality, the current struggles and challenges faced along with solutions..
The event will also feature women from different professional backgrounds and provide a platform for women to interact and learn from one another.
An award ceremony has also been planned for achievements made in various fields, including education, health, law, science & technology, banking, politics, women’s rights activism, performing arts and literature by senior women professionals and mid-career level professionals.
It will also be an economic opportunity for small scale businesswomen to showcase their products and services, an opportunity for women’s rights organizations to highlight their work while women artists to have a platform for performances.
Ms. Nuzhat Shirin also shared the research and SOPs developed on safe houses by the Commission, as per orders of the High Court. She urged Commissioner Karachi to establish a model safe house for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Karachi based on the SOPs developed by the SCSW. The SCSW will support the Commissioner’s office fully in this endeavor.
The delegation also emphasized the need to improve women’s mobility in the city. Ms. Nuzhat suggested plying of women dedicated buses on specific routes during work hours to facilitate women access to city's business centers as well industrial units.
