ISLAMABAD: International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVW) observed in Pakistan elsewhere across globe. This year theme for Day is ‘Unite! Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls’. In his message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said violence against women and girls is most pervasive human rights violation in world.

 He said every 11 minutes a woman or girl is killed by an intimate partner or family member and we know that other stresses, from Covid-19 endemic to economic turmoil, inevitably lead to even more physical and verbal abuse.  Women and girls also face rampant online violence, from misogynistic hate speech, to sexual harassment, image abuse and grooming by predators.

This discrimination, violence and abuse targeting half of humanity comes at a steep cost. It limits women’s and girls’ participation in all walks of life, denies their basic rights and freedoms, and blocks equal economic recovery and sustainable growth our world needs. He said, now is time for transformative action that ends violence against women and girls. Several non-governmental bodies in country also oorganised seminars and talk-shows highlighting significance of Day and asked members of civil society and government functionaries to take stock of situation and take concerted measures on their respective end to control menace. Seminars and conferences were held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and other parts of country wherein speakers provide core insight to womenfolk how to tackle this ugly hazard in addition taking prompt steps to report such incidents to relevant quarters in timely manner.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 26 2022

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