Empowering women
“NO progress can come to a nation that does not involve half of its population in its nation-building activities,” said a UN official after visiting rural areas of South Asia. That’s true.
How can we call a nation democratic when half of its people sit at home and have no right to vote? It is clearly said that the progress of society depends on women empowerment.
The first step to empower women is to build awareness in its people. To tell them why there is a need for empowerment. Women must know their rights and their status in society. Unless women are made aware of their own rights, no amount of economic progress or freedom would help.
Then comes the basic need of everyone living in a society — education. If women have education enough, they will educate their children as well.
They should know what their religion teaches them so that nobody should use them or do any violence unto them. Moreover, the higher authorities must ensure that their due freedom and rights are given to them without fail.
To give women their rights, we should make use of the media to build awareness about women empowerment. Currently, there are many NGOs working to build awareness and to empower women in South Asia. But our government is not taking much interest.
We must realise that that if we want our country to prosper we have to empower our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters to help them achieve the status they duly deserve, i.e. of being useful citizens of Pakistan.
MAHA SABIR
Karachi
Source: Dawn
Date:6/17/2009
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