PAKISTAN: Media Vows to Promote Working Women's Rights

Media in Pakistan has resolved to play a key role in empowering women and promoting their rights by improving their public profile through a fair and representative coverage of working women in the country. The media persons made this resolve in a discussion on ‘promotion of gender equality in the world of work' here Saturday, says a press release.

Speaking on the occasion, National Project Coordinator, International Labour Organization (ILO), Frida Khan, said Pakistan has made commendable achievements in promoting gender equality and social justice in the world of work. She said ILO provided assistance in many of these interventions and steps taken for promoting gender equality and social justice in Pakistan.

She noted that there is great potential and talent in the working women of Pakistan especially those serving in media who are well-aware of the fact that a balanced gender based approach has to be calculated in the reporting process to cover creative, productive and dynamic aspects of a woman life.

She said the Labour force participation rate for women in Pakistan is 19% (or even less in remote provinces) compared to 70% for men, and even if we account for the fact that much of women's economic contribution remains invisible and uncounted, it is still very low.

Women face significant challenges finding work in decent working conditions. Alarmingly, vulnerable employment for women increased by 11.9% between 1999 and 2007, she added.

Ms Frida further added that ILO in collaboration with Canadian International Development Agency has taken various initiatives to strengthen national mechanisms to promote equal employment opportunities for women, enhance skills and employability of poor women in rural and urban areas of selected districts. ILO is also working with government, employers and workers to help them understand and implement gender equal policies and practices in their sphere of work. Speaking on the occasion, Moneeza Hashmi said that Article 25 of the 1973 Constitution stipulated that there will be no discrimination on the basis of sex and promised equality for women in government employment. She urged that a balanced gender based approach has to be inculcated in the reporting process to cover creative, productive and dynamic aspects of a woman life.

Adnan Rehmat, Media Analyst, said that there is a need of enhancing the capacity of media in gender sensitive reporting as in many cases women's perspectives are missing in the reporting. He also said that media should raise awareness about issues related to gender equality and work.