On International Women’s Day (IWD), U.N. Women collaborated with the Ministry of Human Rights to hold a national seminar in Islamabad, Pakistan. The event, titled “Innovation and technology for gender equality: Creating Safe Spaces,” was organized under the Tahafuzz programme, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL).
The event was aligned with the global theme for IWD, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” which recognizes women and girls championing transformative technology and digital education. Sharmeela Rassool, UN Women’s Country Representative, emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces for women both online and offline, stating that gender equality is an operational necessity for making innovation and technology gender-responsive.
In his keynote address, Federal Minister for Human Rights, Mr. Riaz Hussian Pirzada, highlighted the steps the Government of Pakistan was taking to prevent and protect women against online harassment and promote a better environment for tech-based businesses for women in the country. The panel discussions highlighted the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence.
The Tahaffuz programme, implemented from 2022 to 2024 in five districts of Punjab and Sindh, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory, aims to prevent violence against women and enhance their access to justice. During the programme’s implementation, Tahaffuz will strengthen law enforcement officials’ capacity by improving their knowledge and attitudes on gender, enhancing the handling of cases of violence against women, and improving coordination between security and justice sector stakeholders, forensic officers, and medical examiners.
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