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Summary PM Gilani has said the government is committed to the cause of empowerment of womenfolk.
In a message on International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women falling on November 25, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said violence against women is a global phenomenon.It has various forms and manifestations and violence not only means physical harm and psychological scar but also the degradation of moral, social and human values, he said adding the purpose of observing International Day for the Elimination of Violence againstWomen is to raise awareness among the womenfolk about their rights and also to sensitize the society to the imperative of respecting women rights.He said the United Nations General Assembly, through its Resolution No 54/134 on December 17, 1999, urged the governments, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and human rights groups to observe November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.He said Pakistan joins the world community in observing this day and the phenomenon of violence against women needs to be addressed through holistic policy reform agenda.The Prime Minister said the introduction of political, legislative and economic reforms is a key to creating conditions essential for empowerment and emancipation of womenfolk.The affirmative actions on the part of the state and society can help open up vistas of opportunities for women, he said adding Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a great torch-bearer of the women rights and advocated the cause of their well-being at the international fora.The Prime Minister said, “I regard the empowerment of women as my personal mission. In line with the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the present democratic government has taken a number of steps that signal radical change in the status of women.”The government has enacted a number of pro-women laws such as “Protection against Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010”, “The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Bill 2008” to enable women to play their unhindered role in national life, he added.“On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we must make a pledge to keep working for the empowerment of women because it is their empowerment, which would not only eliminate negative tendencies against women but also give them their due status promised by Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan,” he added.
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