ISLAMABAD, Oct 20 (APP): Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA) two-day 9th Annual Conference on Rural Women Day concluded here at Lok Virsa on Thursday.
The Conference was arranged in connection with the celebrations to observe International Day of Rural Women, declared by the United Nations in 2008.
Welcoming the adoption of laws to end violence against women, Executive Director PODA, Ms. Sameena Nazir said that the government should provide proper training to the police and court officials so that the new laws can be implemented in all areas especially in rural areas.
She said that more than one thousand women participated in the two-day conference.
Sameena Nazir also urged all stakeholders to put demands of the rural women who represented more than 100 districts of the country on their priority to address them.
She suggested that the issue of violence needs to be the part of curriculum, so that youth get the knowledge at early stage of their lives to understand the root causes of violence in their communities.
“Since 2008, PODA has facilitated this unique platform for
rural women activists annually to highlight their contributions, innovations, challenges, leadership and vision. It is an organic movement of rural women leaders that has been growing every year.”
“Starting with 300 women in 2008, we had over 1500 participants from 100 districts of Pakistan in 2015 annual conference,” she said.
Sameena Nazir said the conference highlighted ideas of empowerment and gave women courage to take new initiatives because they saw other women taking on similar challenges in their communities.
She said the conference provided the women a platform to make collective demands and gave them confidence. PODA’s role was to make sure that their voices were included in the decision making forums of the federal and provincial capitals.
She dedicated this year’s conference to Abdul Sattar Edhi, a great supporter of women and girls rights in the country.