PESHAWAR, Dec 6: Speakers at seminar here on Thursday said that both religion and culture were misinterpreted and used as a tool against women in the society.

However, they dispelled the impression that all Pakistani men were violent. They said that majority of men avoided violence against women and considered it unacceptable.

The speakers said that men should give due respect and equal status to women and avoid violence against them to build a strong social relationship in the society.

The seminar titled ‘16 days of activism’ was organised by Blue Veins and Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development (CRSD). MPA Manawar Farman, Swat Women Crisis Centre in-charge Ali Gohar Khan, CRSD chief executive Idrees Kamal and Qamar Naseem addressed the seminar.

“A silent majority of men disapproves violence but does little to prevent it. Of most concern, a significant number of men excuses or justifies violence against women. The silence and encouragement of male bystanders allow men to continue violence against women,” they said.

The speakers said that men must challenge the violence of other men and work to undermine the social and cultural support for violence against women. They said that callous behaviours and gender inequalities were feeding violence against women.

“The men, who stay silent in the face of other men’s violence against women, are not perpetrators but perpetuators as they allow this violence to continue,” they said.

The participants of the seminar asked the government through several resolutions, adopted on the occasion, to end impunity on issues relating to violence against women.They demanded of the provincial government to immediately appoint ombudsperson for the cases of sexual harassment at workplace.

They urged the government to revise its decision of closing women crisis centres in the province.

“Details of all projects jointly executed by the government and UN agencies must be made known to community organisations, media and citizens so that they can evaluate the success of all such schemes and play the role of a watchdog,” the participants of the seminar said.

They said that women related bills pending in the provincial assembly should be tabled at priority basis.—Bureau Report