Daily Times

Punjab government spokesperson Musarrat Jamshed Cheema has said that there was a need to work together to prevent violence against women and children. She was addressing a seminar organized by Punjab University Institute of Social and Cultural Studies in connection with the ongoing awareness campaign regarding violence against women and children. Punjab Women Protection Committee Chairperson Rafia Kamal, SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies Director Prof Dr Rubeena Zakar, representatives of NGOs, faculty members and students participated in the event.

Ms Cheema said that laws should be strictly enforced to end violence against women and children. She said that women, whether poor, educated or uneducated, were subject to sexual harassment and violence in any society. She said that our girls were very talented, if steps were not taken to strengthen them, political and economic stability would never come in the country. She said that the problems of sexual harassment and violence were also faced in developed countries, but there is a rule of law there. Rafia Kamal said that awareness should be continued through seminars and workshops in educational institutions to prevent violence against women and children. She said that with the cooperation of police and health department, incidents of violence against women and children would be reduced. She said that men and women together form a civilized society.

She said that the mindset of oppressing women in the name of entertainment had to be changed. While giving a briefing on the research report regarding the subject, Syed Kausar Abbas told the participants that in the last ten months, 3,088 rape cases of women have been reported in Punjab, while 446 women have been raped in Lahore alone. He said that 4,503 incidents of child abuse have been reported, of which Lahore was on the top with 1,221 incidents. He said that such a large number of cases had raised an alarm of danger. He said that in order to prevent such incidents, awareness should be created among the students through curriculum. He said that the representation of women in the police should be increased to prevent domestic violence.

Dr Rubeena Zakar said that incidents of violence against women and children were increasing day by day for which more steps should be taken. She said that women are subject to physical, mental, economic and political violence due to various reasons. She said that it was not only a social problem but also a public health problem. She said that everyone had to play a role to reduce the trend of cousin marriage and child marriage. She advised the students to inform the people around them of what they learn.