Women's Financial Independence Vital for National Progress

Mushaal Highlights Interconnectedness of Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights in Achieving Gender Equality and Upholding Dignity.

Women’s Financial Independence Vital for National Progress: Mushaal. In a seminar held in Islamabad commemorating International Women’s Day, former Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Human Rights and Women Empowerment Mushaal Hussein Mullick has emphasized the critical importance of increased women engagement in social and digital arenas. Mullick highlighted that women’s financial independence is pivotal for unlocking the true potential of the nation.

Addressing the audience as the chief guest at the seminar titled “Breaking Barriers: Roles, Challenges, and Opportunities for Women Empowerment in the Digital Age,” Mushaal emphasized that women’s empowerment and human rights are interconnected areas contributing to the goal of achieving gender equality and ensuring the rights and dignity of all individuals.

Mushaal stressed that no nation could progress without empowering its women and advocated for concerted efforts to realize this goal. Despite the limited timeframe and mandate of the caretaker government, she revealed a robust “100-day Plan” aimed at enhancing the overall human rights landscape and promoting women’s empowerment in Pakistan.

The plan encompasses initiatives spanning critical areas such as Gender Equality, Education, Economic Empowerment, Healthcare, Violence against Women, Political Participation, Legal Rights, Reproductive Rights, Freedom from Discrimination, Child Marriage, Access to Justice, Media Representation, Access to Technology, and Social and Economic Safety Nets.

Additionally, Mushaal’s ministry undertook various initiatives, including establishing Truly Representative Consultative Committees on rights of Transgender, Minorities, Kashmir struggle, and Palestine Issue. Other programs included Converting Prisons into Correction Facilities, converting SAPM Office into Incubation and Nerve Centre for Accomplished Women, and building a grassroots irreversible structure of women mobilization through the Bukhtar Program.

Furthermore, she highlighted the need to provide girls and women with access to quality education to unlock their potential as leaders, innovators, and agents of change. Mushaal also shed light on the hardships faced by women in conflict zones like Kashmir and Palestine, where sexual violence is used as a tool of psychological warfare.

Vice Chancellor of FJWU, Dr. Uzaira Rafique, echoed similar sentiments regarding the strength of women in breaking societal barriers and achieving milestones. Sabien Hussein Mullik, General Secretary of Peace and Cultural Organization, emphasized women empowerment and women’s rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Overall, the seminar served as a platform to advocate for women’s empowerment in the digital era, with various speakers underscoring the importance of gender equality and human rights.