National Assembly Speaker calls for devising Policies to ensure Rural Women Rights

Islamabad, October 14, 2012 (PPI-OT): Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker, National Assembly has said rural women were one of the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of the society despite their significant role in the rural economy. She said that they were also subject to violence, economic exploitation and lack of basic healthcare. She said that in her message on the occasion of International Rural Women’s is commemorated throughout the globe under the auspicious of United Nations on October 15.

The Speaker said that rural women comprise a major chunk of the population and play a significant role in agriculture sector rural development but their contributions were not recognized at any level. She said that with the advent of latest technology in the agriculture sector, the involvement of women had not been decreased and still has to perform extensive agriculture work and in addition to that they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and in household chore.

She underlined the need for officially reorganization of women participation in national economy and asked the government to devise policies for the betterment of women folk in the country and to ensure their rights.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that women in our rural socio-cultural panorama were confined to household cores and laborious work in the fields and do not have access to education. She said that education was an inalienable right of every individual; therefore, it was imperative to educate rural women to make them able to understand and face their diverse problems. She asked the government to allocate required funds for establishment of schools for females in the rural areas.

She stressed the need for provision of shelters, livelihood and medical assistance to rural women in affected areas on priority basis. She asked the government to extend SME network to rural areas where enterprising rural women could have excess to credit facilities to make them self-sustaining and economically empowered.

She also stressed the need to establish training and display centers at Tehsil level for rural women artisans so that they could get appropriate proceeds for their crafts and would also eliminate the role of middlemen who economically exploit rural women. She called upon the Banking Sector provide loans to rural women so that they could better contribute in national development.

For more information, contact:
Karamat Hussain Niazi
Secretary
National Assembly of Pakistan
Parliament House, Islamabad
Tel: +9251 922 1082 -83
Fax: +9251 922 1106