ISLAMABAD: Oxfam Novib hosted the National Conference ‘Tabeer Hum – celebrating women across Pakistan’ in the Aiwan-i-Quaid Auditorium, F-9 Park. The Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan, Jesper Moller Sorensen and the Netherlands Ambassador to Pakistan, Marcel de Vink were the chief guests at the event while retired justice Nasira Iqbal and MNA Maiza Hameed were panelists.

Tabeer Hum is a nationwide campaign to promote women voices, celebrate their achievements and empower them to have the right to education, the right to vote and govern, and the right to economic empowerment.

The national conference aimed to bring together experts from organisations, academia, donors, government and community to share their expertise, experiences and analyses of various aspects of the challenges related to gender empowerment.

The conference addressed critical aspects of vulnerabilities and deprivations resulting from gender concerns and identities including gender based violence, early marriages and denial of the basic right to education, health and political participation.

Ambassador Sorensen, a staunch advocate of women’s rights, said, “Women’s empowerment is a core driver of democratisation. Every time a woman gets just one additional year of education, she will add 15 per cent to her life income, which not only benefits herself but also her family and her community.

“History also shows that nations which have focused on attaining higher levels of female education, female labour force participation, and lower fertility rates have made greater social, economic as well as political progress.”

Ambassador de Vink said that the conference was an opportunity to recommit to the important agenda of empowerment of women and girls as progress for women and girls is progress for all.

He said, “I think it is important to recognise that progress has been made in Pakistan over the past 20 years. The quota for women in parliament has enhanced political participation. Important legislation has been put in place: on anti-woman practices, on acid throwing, on sexual harassment at the workplace.

“More recently, Sindh passed important legislation on early and child marriages. Pakistan endorsed last year the declaration at an important conference to end sexual violence.”

Sharing his experience of recent years, he added that beyond the legislation and the declarations there have been many stories of women’s empowerment that made him feel optimistic.

He said, “The Tabeer Hum campaign is critical because it is an opportunity to mobilise political will, engage civil society, and recommit ourselves this important cause. While it is good to recognise the progress that has been made but there is still a lot to do.”

MNA Maiza Hameed said, “Our state and constitution safeguards women’s rights and the current government has taken the agenda of mainstreaming gender equality very seriously.”

Retired justice Nasira Iqbal spoke about the necessity of giving women the CEDAW mandated 33 per cent representation in all decision making bodies including tribunals, the judiciary, legislatures and so on. She also said that while laws exist, without implementation their impact is minimal.

The conference also featured community activists from Sindh and Bajaur Agency who narrated their personal experiences and the struggles they undertook to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty and ignorance.

On display were posters drawn by university students who participated in a national inter-university competition. The theme of the competition was ‘Woman’ and the jury comprised Nageen Hyat, Zainab Khan and Meherbano Khattak. Winners from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab received cash prizes.

Nageen Hyat said, “The posters represented three of the provinces and over all the participants made a very good effort of envisioning the theme of the campaign by promoting women’s voices for the right to literacy and equal opportunities through symbolic images and strong concepts.”

The conference also featured stalls from across Pakistan to highlight the role of women in Pakistan’s economy.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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