International Women’s Day- Pledging support for women hit
by violence and discrimination


On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan (HRCP) expresses solidarity with the women who are
suffering due to growing violence and various forms of discrimination
in the country.

The rise in occurrence of ghastly incidents, such as sectarian
violence witnessed in the form of cowardly bomb blasts, has put
particularly the women in greater jeopardy. The noncombatant women
affected by such atrocities need assistance in various aspects of
their life in order to fully recover from the horrors caused by such
brutal incidents. Not only do the women require financial compensation
to run their households, especially if the traditional male figure
head has passed away due to the incident, they also require
psychological rehabilitation and care in institutions specializing in
the care of women traumatized in such violent acts.

HRCP urges the government of Pakistan to not only take note of the
struggles faced by these women but also take concrete steps to address
the issues prohibiting them from coping with the rising violence in
the country.  The commission also calls upon all state and non-state
institutions to set up committees in their organizations for the
implementation of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2010.
Further, HRCP considers women’s participation in all efforts at
establishing peace and harmony among various groups absolutely vital
and they must be offered all facilities to play this role.