Daily Times

HYDERABAD: Women participants in a seminar on voters education and women role in electoral process demanded fair arrangements for women voters in polling stations. The seminar was organized by Sindh Community Foundation- a civil society organization at Meeranpur, a remote village that is 70 km away from Hyderabad, near Hala in Matiari district, under its Tabeer program at Hyderabad on the importance of vote and role of women in elections. More than 200 women participants belonging to different villages of sub-district Hala attended the seminar and got information on the voting process.

Javed Hussain, head of Sindh Community Foundation said that the women vote turns to go lower as compare male voters. He elaborated, the contributing factors of the low turn-out of women vote in elections are the insufficient arrangements for women voters in polling also the influence of family, community and spouse. Whereas, women should have awareness about the candidates and its party manifesto. He further said that people, especially women living the rural life, face a lot of problems: lack of employment, lack of water and lack health facilities, lack of security etc. So political parties should be made aware and be sensitized to work for women development on the priority basis and should promote this in their election campaigns.

Earlier, Aisha Agha from SCF shared the objectives of the seminar that women play a very strong role in all spheres of life, so women must take part in the electoral process as well.

Sabhagi Bheel, a women activist of Local Support Organization of village Meeranpur said that women should break the silence and should come forward to speak about their problems and issues with the candidate who comes asking for vote, because whom we elect after election will make the government and will come to parliament to decide the destiny of our lives, so we should raise our issues to in order to get them solved.

Hameed Mallah, project manager SCF shared info about the voting process with the women participants and said that appropriate arrangements should be made for women voters during the voting process.

A female Social activist, Sadori of village Jamal Dahri, and Ramzan Shaoor also addressed the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, July 14^th 2018.