KARACHI, March 8: Stressing the need for improving the status of women, speakers at a seminar said that women’s empowerment was the catalyst for progress and mass social change that could only come through good quality, affordable education. Apart from the government, which needed to deliver on many fronts, women, who stood as icons in their respective fields today, had an obligation to help the less fortunate exploit their potential.

The seminar, ‘Factors enhancing the status of women in Pakistan,’ was organised by the Pakistan Women’s Foundation for Peace at a local hotel on Saturday. The programme was held to mark International Women’s Day. The speakers, belonging to different spheres of life, spoke at length about the hurdles they had to face in their professional lives and shared their experiences.

Highlighting the role of education in women’s development, the speakers said only education which had relevance to the times could change society. The focus must be on education and how it could be improved and tailored according to the needs of the times. For this purpose, teachers’ training and changes to update curricula was a must, they said.

Speaking on the role of the National Commission on the Status of Women, Simi Kamal, researcher and activist heading the Karachi Water Partnership Project, said the commission formed in 2000 was an outcome of national and international commitments of the Pakistan government. Working in partnership with civil society and the government, the commission envisioned equalisation of opportunities and socio-economic conditions amongst women and men and elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

“The commission’s report on the status of women sparked public debate and led to the government changing its stance and passing the Women’s Protection Bill in 2006. Besides, the Citizenship Act, 1951, was reviewed to give equal rights to women. Efforts have also been made to clearly define the parameters of the ministry of women and the commission, so they both work in harmony,” she said, highlighting the achievements of the commission.

She also stressed the need for the urgent restructuring of the commission, making it independent and powerful, with members working full-time. “In our case, only the chairperson is a full-time, paid employee, while others work as volunteers. We have to learn from the experiences of other countries where such commissions are a success, playing their role very effectively to attend to women’s problems.”

Giving the example of India, she said the commission had powers to summon anybody, including government officials, and was supported by a strong civil network that brings into light cases of injustices against women.

About the role of women in the media, the speakers said women were playing a very crucial role and had come a long way. Women’s participation had increased, but still the media – both electronic and print – was heavily dominated by men and initiatives must be taken to encourage women.

Speakers included Sindh’s caretaker Minister for Women Development Nadira Panjwani, caretaker Education Minister, Punjab, Dr Mira Phailbus, Prof Nuzhat William, Ms Pathani, Prof Dr Rafia Ahmed Sheikh, Nargis Rahman, Rehana Hakim, Sultana Siddiqui, Zubaida Mustafa, Haseena Moin, Seema Tahir, Feryal Ali Gauhar, Saima Mohsin, and Nilofur Farrukh.

An exhibition of handicrafts and paintings by students of the University of Sindh, the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and volunteers of Karavan Craft, Thardeep Rural Support Programme, was also on display.