Bi Monthly Meeting District Action Committee – Karachi

Aurat Foundation has initiated a project titled "Empowerment of Women Home-based workers and excluded groups in Pakistan" in partnership with Home Net Pakistan with the support of UN Women implemented in Karachi and Thatta. Under this project District Action Committees (DAC’s) are formed in these districts. DAC basically is a group of members of different stakeholders at district level, they include home-based workers (HBW’s), organizations working on HBWs, government departments, (Labour Dept, Social Welfare, Women Development, Local Govt, Human Rights) trade unions officials, lawyers, political leaders, NGO’s representatives, disable women, transgenders, and media.

The Sindh Assembly passed Home Based Workers bill, 2018 on May 09, 2018 to protect the rights of home based workres. Aurat Foundation conducted a Meeting of District Action Committee – Karachi on May 21, 2018.


Mahnaz Rahman, Resident Director – Karachi shared the law clause by clause and sought recommendations for rules of business of the Law. Participants of the meeting gave their suggestions and recommendations for the implementation mechanism of this law.
Representatives of Labour department, Women Development Department, Associated Press of Pakistan, Pakistan Hidu Council, Women Development Foundation – Pakistan, Hunar Ghar, Entrepreneur and Community Development Institute, Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum and Raana Liaquat Community Center were present in the meeting.  
 

Peer Learning and Exposure Visit to AF Karachi

Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability (TDEA) under its Community Leadership Development Program trained approximately 400 Local Body Representatives (LBR) in districts of KP and Sindh. The trained LBR including men and women elected on General seats and seats reserved for Women, labour, peasant and minority councilors. The shortlisted Councilors (50 from each project district) were engaged in various activities like quarterly and monthly meetings, engagements with elected representatives and public officials and interactions with organizations working on GBV issues. 

In this regard TDEA planned a visit to Aurat Foundation Karachi. The elected representatives (LBR) who have sound knowledge of their role and responsibilities as a member of Council were included in this activity. The purpose of the visit was to orient the trained LBRs and learn through AF’s hands-on experience to deal with GBV issues and its prevention. The exposure visit was attended 16 local councilors from Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Mitiari. 

Mr Nauman Hafeez, Project Manager, TDEA-FAFEN, introduced the participants. Ms Mahnaz Rahman, Resident Director, AF Karachi, gave the history of women’s movement and overview of AF’s long standing contribution towards women empowerment in the society. AF’s ongoing projects related to HBWs – UNWomen, strengthening of local councilors – Oxfam GB and strengthening legislative assemblies –Subai EU were also shared in terms of linkage development with the local councilors. The local councilors showed great interest in continuing the meaningful engagements with AF. The strategy for combatting GBV under GEP was also explained at length to the councilors. GBV prevention mechanisms set by various human right organizations to control GBV issues in those districts were also discussed. AF shared their referral / contact details for facilitating the GBV cases being dealt with the local councilors in the respective districts.

Agriculture sector must declare as an industry to protect the agrarian women labour rights because they as agrarian, WHBW and domestic labor force contributing 25 percent of our GDP ..


Women worker’s contribution in agriculture is still unrecognized and overlooked. Agriculture must declare as an “industry” and protect agrarian workers’ rights in labour laws. It is immense need to develop a road map for the promotion and protection of agrarian women workers’ rights in provincial legislative and policy framework of labour.


Chairperson, Women Rights Commission Mahnaz Rafi said that sex and gender-desegregated data is lacking, in general, and thus impacts negatively on women’s status. Ensure free and mandatory registration of all labour (women and men) in all the non-formal sectors of the economy, including, most importantly, the agricultural, HBWs and domestic labour force, which alone contributes over 25% of the GDP.


Mumtaz Mughal, Resident Director Auart Foundation urges to develop new definitions and standards of economic indicators in order to accord greater visibility of “invisible work force” and to complete the gaps and weaknesses in statistical records. Currently left out majority of women who work as unpaid agricultural labour (family helpers), domestic workers and home-based workers (HBWs) in the non-formal and non- unionized labour sector contribution in agriculture is unrecognized, unpaid, underrated, and overlooked. Acknowledging the Punjab government efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality, agriculture must declare as an “industry” and protect agrarian workers’ rights in labour laws. It is immense need to develop a road map for the promotion and protection of agrarian women workers’ right as labour rights in provincial legislative and policy framework of labour.


Ms. Shameela Aslam, MPA PML-N and business women said that there is need to create an environment that encourages rural women’s increased participation in decision-making, on leadership, public-speaking, trade union, cooperatives and associations. Trade union leaders must create a trust worthy environment for agrarian women workers by providing them leadership opportunities and positions. Women representation must be mandatory in all price control, anjuman tajrans and other forums and committees.


Ms. Faiza Malik, MPA PPPP said that we are in era of technological revolution and agrarian women have often been excluded from agrarian reform and training programmes in new agricultural methods. It is essential to modernize and reconsider trade policies from a more feminist outlook.


Sadia Sohail, MPA PTI said that expedite legislation for the mandatory registration and identification of all women agricultural workers as a basic right. Provincial governments must introduce the social welfare state model to better safeguard and improve workers’ rights and protection. There is need to make an effective monitoring and accountability mechanism on the implantation of labour laws.


Ms. Qasira Ismail, Member PCSW shared that rural women’s access to credit is limited, complex procedures for securing credit; bias in lending institutions and fiscal regulations, lack of knowledge regarding credit programmes and opportunities including women’ s mobility also restrict women’s access to credit institutions.


Ms. Sara Sheraz, Manager Inspired+ Pakistan Programme highlighted the discriminatory barriers and sociocultural rigidities which remains the significant reasons hindering women from gaining effective control of property, assets and resources and restricting their mobility within workplace or employment and self-employment structures. She emphasized on establishment of effective engender grievance reporting and redressal mechanisms to address gender discrimination and harassment at workplace and public place.


Nabeela Shaheen Advocate said that working women’s representation in the local power structures, such as at the ward, union council, town, district or provincial and national level, is limited. There is need to reserve peasant/workers seats in local bodies system at all level. She also said that government should take up legislative initiatives that promote equality in the wage system, more flexible working arrangements, increase the status of women in agriculture, home enterprises, and female-dominated professions in the informal sector.


Participants also demanded that the right of women agricultural workers to be registered as independent Women Heads of Households (WHHs) where indicated, especially women who are single, divorced, separated or widowed; institute special measures and affirmative action for them. Ensure legislation to safeguard the right of all agricultural workers, women and men, to a fair, just, decent, minimum wage. Encourage women farmers to form trade unions, associations and cooperatives. Government should establish pension and social security schemes for rural women their contributions from both “productive” and “reproductive” work. They also stressed upon strengthen and strictly adhere to the law banning Bonded Labour in urban, e.g. street beggars, brick kiln workers; in rural, e.g. agricultural workers/peasants/haaris/mazaaras, etc; and common everywhere: generational forced domestic labour.

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Focus Group Discussion to Define and Uncover Issues Faced by Agrarian Women Workers

Aurat Foundation has organized focus group discussion on 23rd February 2018 by INSPIRED+Team Aurat Foundation Lahore. Participants were from Civil society, MPAs, Members from various service proving institutes /Banks and individual experts to discuss and define participatory policy analysis (PPA) – policy research in the area of socio-economic rights of women.

The main findings of the first discussion were: There’s no recognition of socio-economic rights of agrarian women in labor policy. There is a need to establish agrarian women network/ federation. There’s no safety and protection mechanism for agrarian women workers. There’s no dispute resolution mechanism for agrarian women. 


While speaking on the occasion, Justice ® Nasira Javed Iqbal said, “Women should make their independent unions for demanding their rights .Although it is the prime duty of the local governments to educate women at grassroots level. In near future, there will be no space to live, everyone is making shopping malls and residential colonies on agricultural land. We cannot protect agricultural land and we are talking about preserving the rights of agrarian women. There is a need for serious legislation and implementation to make our country great.”


Mumtaz Mughal said, “To maintain the GSP Plus status we have to maintain 27 conventions. Women in agriculture have registered land but they do not have any possession- loans are sanctioned on their name but they do not receive any loan amount. Women working in agriculture are less educated as compared to their male counterparts. Women in agriculture are not involved in decision making. They do not have access to health facilities, social protection, safety nets and micro-credit. There is no daycare centre for the infants.
Nasim Iqbal Chairperson President Mathilda Majlis said that   “This is an election year; women have a very strong and beneficial time to put their demands on the table. We should jointly assist and engage all the political parties and ask them to add this to their manifesto, so they can work for the betterment of agrarian women”
 

Woman’s Political Emancipation: The Future of Pakistan

Aurat Foundation (AF) and Oxfam in Pakistan organized a national workshop entitled Woman’s Political Emancipation: The Future of Pakistan in collaboration with Australian High Commission.   Participants include; senior policy makers, parliamentarians, judiciary, and provincial ministers and grassroots level women leaders from across Pakistan. Participants deliberated over ways to improve women’s participation as candidates and voters in the 2018 elections and put forth a set of action-oriented recommendations.

The conference is part of LISTEN, a 4 year project which was implemented between 2013 and 2017, aimed at ensuring women’s political empowerment and their inclusion in policy and decision making processes.


The Country Director of Oxfam Pakistan Mohammad Qazilbash said in his opening remarks that Aurat Foundation is very close partner of Oxfam and they are working with it form the very beginning. He said that there can be no justice in the world if the voices of women are absent from the decision making process. He said that Oxfam believes in building women’s leadership and ensuring their meaningful political participation so they are able to influence decisions and policies that affect their lives. All women, including those who are poor and underprivileged have a right to participate in politics.

`I was asked to present the historical perspectives of women`s political participation but when I looked at the title of the conference, I read it the other way around the future of Pakistan is in women`s emancipation. The history of the political worker, the women who strove for the right vote, the women who struggled for political freedom predates the history of NGOs, which are new entities, but the political struggle has been going on for decades,` said Naeem Ahmed Mirza, Aurat Foundation`s executive director. He also threw light on feminist movements and urged the women to take advantages of these movements. He called for federal legislation to ensure women also get tickets for winnable general seats. “This will ensure women’s meaningful participation in the electoral process” he said. Mirza also demanded that a special parliamentary committee should be formed to ensure implementation of legislation on domestic violence and sexual harassment.”


In this session of discussion, women parliamentarians from PML-N, PPP, PTI and JUI discussed electoral reforms. The women parliamentarians were included Ms. Raheela Khadim Hussain, MPA, Chairperson Parliamentary Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, Punjab – PML N,  Ms. Syeda Shehla Raza, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly Sindh – PPPP,  Ms. Naeema Kishwar, MNA – Member Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms, KP – JUI (F) and Ms. Spozhmai Achakzai, MPA – Pashtoonkhuwa Milli Awamy Party, Balochistan.

Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza said, `When I sit in the assembly there are people who resist a woman deputy speaker but I believe that if you are strong and committed to the oath you`ve taken nobody can undermine you. Just reachingthe assembly is not the objective. We have to understand that our goalis to bring betterment. We are there to understand and find solutions to problems.

JUI (F) MNA Naeema Kishwar said legislation ensuring political parties to give 5% general seat tickets to women will be passed after Ramadan. “In 2018 election results will be computed according to gender so we receive accurate data on women voters’ turnout,” she said.
PML-N MPA Raheela Khadim Hussain said it is not enough that women participate in the 2018 elections as voters but must be brought into mainstream politics as candidates on general seats. “Punjab has made gender mainstreaming a priority,” she said.


Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Secretary Women Caucus National Assembly of Pakistan said: `No one can deny that an increased women`s political participation is a game changer for the democratic process for any country, that not only validates the legislative and policy making, but also helps in ensuring an inclusive, contextual and substantive national sustainable development. Constitutional guarantees, international commitments and local laws therefore need to be honoured by the governments if they are serious about their implementation. If the governments are visionary, if they are clear on the benefits of inclusive democracies, and if they have a strong political will, they will surely tal(e measures in this regard.

She added, `Since the inception of Women`s Parliamentary Caucus, women parliamentarians have been striving to work on a variety of issues as a collective voice.
A number of landmark pieces of legislation for women protection and empowerment have been enacted, and policies influenced by members of the caucus and women parliamentarians over the years. While most of these have had effective implemen-tation, yet many need to be reviewed and improved; but this is how legal frameworks evolve and meet the emerging challenges as the societies change.

Amendments are thus introduced to align the laws with changing socio-cultural construct and the international human rights commitments. Raheela Khadim Hussain, chairperson Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming for Punjab, said, `Punjab is the only province that recognized the importance of gender mainstreaming. We are talking of mainstreaming women and bringing about equality.

This is about democracy and the right of the common person. Women must contest elections on general seats, through direct elections. We will not see the leadership of women emerge until we do so.


Leading by Example: Empowering Women in Political Participation and Leadership

In the third session, Ms. Rana Ansar, MPA, Sindh – MQM, Ms. Tehseen Fawad, MPA, Punjab and Ms. Fozia Ayub, MPA, Punjab shared their experiences while Majid Sharif Dogar, Director, Provincial Election Commissioner – Punjab spoke on measures taken for the emancipation of women in electoral processes and way forward for election 2018. 


Speaking on the occasion, Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson discussed the importance of political participation of women for democracy and shared Australia`s example. She also highlighted the Australian High Commission`s commitments in Pakistan towards women’s political participation. She said, “Governments and civil society everywhere need to encourage and empower women to contribute to inclusive social and economic development, and to promote security and world peace.” 


Additional Director General Gender Issues Election Commission Nighat Siddique who was the chief guest discussed the measures being taken ahead of the 2018 elections for women’s participation. Ms. Siddique said, in 2013, women’s participation was encouraged but more work was needed to be done ahead of 2018 elections and the ECP is making all efforts to ensure electoral reforms make women’s participation a priority.