Number of registered women voters low: NGOs
SWABI, June 24: A large number of women would not be able to register as voters because of their failure to get computerised national identity cards.
A visit to display centres, discussions with NGO workers and residents here revealed that the speed of registration of voters varied from area to area, depending on the enthusiasm of political leaders, local government officials and members of civil social organisations.
“All elected local government representatives know perfectly well how many voters have been registered in their respective areas. If they want to, they can easily locate people who have been left out,” said an official. “Similarly, the role of political parties is also extremely vital.”
Two NGOs, Women Association Struggle for Development and United Rural Development Organisation, have been working with the district Election Commission staff, especially in registration of women.
The registration of women is slow and their number is also lower than the number of men registered voters all across the district, said sources.
Justifying the low number of registered voters in the area, sources said that most of the people here were illiterate and that was why they had not applied for computerised ID cards, without which they could not get themselves registered as voters.
Some people even did not know their right to vote, said an official.
The NGOs, sources said, had been working with NADRA’s local Swift Registration centre to accelerate the pace of issuing of ID cards to women, enabling them to ensure their registration in the latest voters’ list.
During last elections, it was notices that some women polling stations were deserted because men had barred women from exercising their right to vote. While numerous mistakes were committed in the registration process, but the registration process was mainly hampered by invisible barriers of cultural taboos. If a man was not ready to register his wife or daughter or mother as a voter, no one could compel him.
Officials of the Election Commission have already told the people that those who failed to register may not be able to vote in the general election.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/25/2007
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