women empowerment in our society
TRANSCRIPT
Muhammad Ahmad Javaid
“The Last Warrior”
National Textile University, Faisalabad
Definition of empowerment
Women’s empowerment
Need of women's empowerment
Current status of women in Pakistan
Women in Islam and Muslim society
How to empower women
Challenges in women empowerment
Need of the hour
Spiritual •Having decision-making power of their own
Political
•Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective
decision making
Social
•Having positive thinking on the ability to make
change
Economic
• Involving in the growth process and changes that is
never ending and self-initiated
Individual• Increasing one's positive self-image
According to the UN definition, women’s
empowerment has five components:
•Sense of self-worth;
•Right to determine choices;
•Access to opportunities and resources;
•Right to control their own lives
•Ability to influence the direction of
social change
Global commitment for women empowerment
United nations agenda
1946 Division for Advancement of Women (DAW)
1975-85 decade of women equality, development and peace
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural development
UNDF United Nation Development Fund
WFO World Food Organization
WHO World Health Organization
Women status in world
½ of world’s population
2/3rd of 2 billion poor in world
60% of total unpaid workers
1% of total world assets in their names
10 million more girls are out of school than boys
In South Asia 48% women are married before age of 18 years
80% of 8 million trafficked people are women
< 10% representation in parliament, in 1/3rd of developing countries
Stabilization of
economy
Social stabilization
Healthier future
generations
Development of
country
"O mankind! Verily we have created you from a single (pair) of a male and
female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other."
(Al-Hujraat 49:13; cf.4:1)
Equal rights
Equal responsibilities
Equally accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping
Area of action for women
½ Billion women are Muslim
Lives in >50 Muslim Countries
More problems than the rest of world
Laws in Muslim Countries
Civil law
Islamic Sharia
Patriarchal
family systems
Males
custodians of
women
Early marriages Honor killings
High fertilityLess control
over resources
Low level of
education
Restricted
mobility
No freedom of
choice
Reduced
representation
in job sector
Health issues
Constitution of Pakistan 1973:
“all citizens are equal, irrespective of their religion, cast and gender in eyes of law”
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
CRC Convention on Right of Child
14 Aug 1998 prepared and launched National Plan of Action (NPA)
184 actions for women in 12 critical areas
women and health,violence against
women, women and poverty,
women and armed
conflict,
women and
economy,
women and
education training
women in power and
decision making,
human rights of
women,
women and
environment,
institutional
mechanism for
advancement of
women,
women and media, girl child
8TH Mar 2002 National Policy of Development and Empowerment of Women
Goal was to empower Pakistani women
o Economically
o Socially
o Politically
Increased no of seats for women in
o National assembly
o Provincial assembly
o Local government
o senate
Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM)
o Political
o Economic activity
o Decision making capability
Pakistan is 82 ranked out of 93 countries
Gender Development Index (GDI)
o Health
o Income
o Education
Pakistan is ranked 125th out of 157 countries
Lack of education and employment
Limited opportunities to acquire land/property
Dispossessed of their inheritance
Lost individual identity
Heavy house load
No involvement in decision making
Inhuman social customs
Low wedges in paid work
Diet deficiency
Sexual harassment
It needs contributions of
o Dedicated personals
o Committed people
o Generous funding agencies
o Strong political will
We need to establish
o Empirical evidences
o Linkages b/w factors related to women’s empowerment
Typical social norms
Old traditions
Imported practices from other religions
Correction of misinterpreted religious concepts
Increase the
cooperation
Change our
mindset
Abolish
hindering
traditions
Improve our
systems