A number of areas where improvements can be made have been identified in the report
The UN Women Pakistan and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) “Pakistan: Status Report 2020” with the support of the Norwegian Embassy. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Usman Dar was the chief guest at the virtual event. Center of Gender and Policy Studies (CGaPS) were technical partners in the report and compiled all the underlying data.
The SAPM emphasized on empowering women for sustainable development. “Empowering young women is key to Pakistan’s sustainable social and economic development,” Dar said. “The report is a great initiative for all of us to understand the challenges young women face and seek advice for informed policies and actions to address those challenges. Our government is committed to empower youth, with special focus on young women, so that the targets of Sustainable Development Goals are achieved,” he said.
Aisha Mukhtar, Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan said that Pakistan is a country with a youthful demographic profile. As a signatory to a number of international gender equality pacts, the country has a huge opportunity to further the gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda.
“In a world where youth leadership and activism are gaining importance, UN Women’s Generation Equality campaign provides a unique opportunity to youth activists and advocates in promoting a gender equal world,” Mukhtar said.
The report emphasized on the importance of strategically investing in the women to accelerate their progress and empower them in the process. Secretary NCSW Humera Azam Khan said that the report made some very insightful recommendations. “It is indeed a quintessential research report relevant to the present-day context, analytical in profile and insightful in its recommendations.”
The report pointed out some areas where much improvement can be achieved in coming years. These included education of the young females as well as child marriages. About a fourth of girls are married before the age of 18. Many women are unable to seek healthcare due to family restrictions. Similarly, many abuse victims are unable to talk to anyone due to social pressures.
A relatively low number of women are employed, with most of them employed in the agriculture sector. An overwhelming number of employed females do not have formal contracts with the employer. There is also a significant pay gap between the genders, it was noted.
These and many other issues must be addressed on war footing in order to fix them in coming years. More emphasis on education and better healthcare, as well as putting an end to the child marriage should be especially high on the agenda.