ISLAMABAD: Chairperson National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) Afshan Tehseen Bajwa Sunday called for a shift in the mindset of the population in favor of gender equality and urged media to play active role for awareness to remove all social barriers. She said it is high time to recognize the meaningful role of women and take substantial steps for ensuring equal participation of women by accepting the fact that the Constitution of Pakistan promises dignity, freedom and equality to all citizens and forbids discrimination on the basis of gender. She said women in our society are confronting severe problems regarding education, healthcare, and employment, adding, there is a need to change the mindset and perception of people to protect women rights and to bring them into mainstream. She said on 8th March, the Women Day is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements from political to social level while calling for gender equality. “Women empowerment is key to national progress and NCRC is committed to empower women by making them economically independent as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” she added. She also appreciated the steps taken by the government for making women self-sustainable and providing them with opportunities to play a positive role in the future building of the nation. While paying tribute to women who had struggled against oppression and discrimination, the Chairperson NCRC said, we all need to put coordinated efforts towards women’s empowerment and UN Women is playing vital role to achieve these targets”. She also emphasized on the implementation of existing laws that had been passed to safeguard the rights of women in country.