CREATING SPACES: CONSULTATIVE MEETING DISCUSSES ROLE OF YOUTH IN ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Oxfam in Pakistan and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA), in collaboration with Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA), organized a consultative meeting with stakeholders on the role of youth and implementation of existing laws to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) on Thursday in Lahore.
Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, Punjab Minister Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal also participated as the Chief guest and highlighted various initiatives taken by the incumbent government to eliminate gender-based violence.
Muhammad Usman Dar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, who was the Guest of Honor at the event, appreciated the work being carried out by Oxfam and ITA. He highlighted that the initiative of engaging youth as ambassadors for social change, particularly to eliminate violence against women and girls, was the right step towards positive change. He urged that the youth should join the “Kamyab Jawan Programme”, which was launched with the aim to provide meaningful engagement opportunities to them.
ITA is implementing Oxfam in Pakistan’s “Creating Spaces Project” to sensitize youth and other influencers at the grassroots and provincial level to play their effective role as agents of change in preventing violence against women and girls. The project strongly believes in improving response by strengthening the role of government-owned essential support services with a mandate to protect and provide shelter to survivors of violence and abuse. This project is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada. To give youth a leading role in social issues concerning gender-based violence, Oxfam, ITA, and Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) have appointed youth ambassadors from six districts of Punjab. Hailing from Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujrat, Jhelum, Sialkot and Kasur, these members have been sensitized and trained on positive social norms, advocacy and campaigning on ending gender-based violence. Speaking at the event, Kaneez Fatima, Chairperson PWPA, highlighted the grassroots-level challenges that these youth ambassadors will tackle to help women and girls facing gender-based violence.
Syed Shahnawaz Ali, Country Director, Oxfam in Pakistan, addressing the event, said, “There is a cost to rising cases of gender-based violence. This cost trickles down to the country’s youth, who have to then grapple with various societal ills and yet have little or no role in curbing this menace. We must see them as agents of change, giving them knowledge and resources so that they can lead us all to better results.”
ITA CEO Baela Raza Jamil shed light on the partnership with Oxfam in Pakistan and the government departments to create a safe environment for girls and women to live and perform to their highest potential.
Isma Sana, Manager Creating Spaces, Oxfam in Pakistan, said that Oxfam has mobilized youth and women groups from across Sindh and Punjab to advocate ending violence against women and girls and stopping early child marriages. “Through their active participation, we seek to ensure we can create a society where women and girls can live without fear and have access to equal opportunities.”
A plenary discussion also took place on the role of youth and the implementation of existing laws to end violence against women and girls. This included representatives from Punjab Safe Cities Authority, Women Development Department, Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department, Punjab Police, and Creating Spaces Youth Ambassador. The event also saw participation from Nabila Khan, Ombudsperson Punjab; Uzma Kardar, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming; Sania Kamran, Parliamentary Secretary, Women Development.
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