Archive for the ‘Economic Empowerment’ Category

International Women’s Day 2009: celebrated in style and grandeur with an impressive panelist of 12 leading women from all walks of life. A special heartfelt prayer for all our sisters in F.A.T.A: the fate of whom are in the hands of misguided miscreants. Answers to questions such as, who is a woman of substance and what should be the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day etc. are sought by an enlightened audience of young women. 

Let us all come together on one platform and strive to become compassionate and strong women, who can not only hold their own but can in fact contribute towards ensuring a healthy, balanced and peaceful society. 

Show will go on air live on Saturday November 8^th 10-11 am, first repeat 4-5 pm, second repeat 3-4 am.

A province which ekes out an entire existence on sheep herding and primitive crafts, devoid of considerable economic, health, education and political privileges enjoyed by the other provinces of Pakistan (Sindh and Punjab to be specific) would seem to rely heavily on its women population for sustenance and support. Rest assured it does. Unfortunately though, almost all economic contribution of the women of Balochistan is unofficial, unrecorded and unregistered. These women support an entire, thriving industry on their shoulders, yet are devoid of any social security, capacity building, access to resources or information, and in turn are fully vulnerable to what is well known as ‘middle-man exploitation’, a brutally critical society and unsupportive extended family if not immediate family members.  Home Net Pakistan alone has given a recorded figure of 10,500 female home based workers.  Why are these women streamlined?  What laws are supporting them? The National Policy is currently being formulated, the draft is ready but not tabled yet. What is holding it back and will it be successfully implemented?

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Gender-based inequality is an almost universally-experienced reality, manifested in different nations, cultures, religions and income groups of the world. Similarly, women empowerment spreads over multiple spheres: political, economic, health and education.

In Pakistan, the patriarchal framework has not only defined but embedded certain mindsets, customs, norms and traditions so deeply into our lives and thus our practices, that addressing gender-based inequalities here has become a multifaceted challenge. However, we at Nai Rahain believe that a problem that can be highlighted, can surely be resolved and a challenge that can be measured, likewise addressed.

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