Need for separate police stations for women stressed

The women, which make up 50 percent of the country's 180 million population have less than one percent representation in police. Individualland Pakistan, a research based consultancy firm claimed at a focus group discussion, organised on 'Women police in Pakistan', in collaboration with Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
It said that there are only 19 women police stations across the country, which not only lack adequate facilities but majority are being run without any woman station house officer (SHO). The NGO also claimed that the women police stations are also not authorised to register an FIR (first information report). People belonging to different walks of life as well as parliamentarians, civil society activists, stressed the need to increase representation of women in the police department, a system which is considered to be the most corrupt, to empower the women folk.
MNA Munaza Hassan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that women should be given top positions in police department to encourage other women to join police force. "Lack of proper education in our country is one of the major reasons behind small representation of women in government department, especially police," she pointed out. The women lawmakers, majority of them are hand-picked on seats reserved for women, have virtually failed to play an effective role for women empowerment.
Majority of the women lawmakers are half-literate, wives, daughters or blue-eyed of different political parties, which hampers the educated women as they could not make it to the dark power corridors due to lack of political backing. However, in complete contrast to the ground reality, those women lawmakers are good for nothing, the PTI woman MNA claimed that they are as active as their male colleagues and had moved bills during the two and a half years than male MPs.
Nafeesa Khattak another PTI MNA elected on seats reserved for women, said that women lawmakers should not be singled out for less representation of women in police as it is a collective responsibility. "The people at the helm of affairs are not ready to send their women in the police as they only deem the police department fit for the women of others, which will not help in encouraging the women to join police force," she lamented.
MNA Asia Naz of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), who has also been hand-picked on seats reserved for women, left no stone unturned in showering praise on women lawmakers, despite the fact that their role has so far been a great disappointment.
We've been raising voice for women's rights, she said, adding she would also take up one percent women representation in police department in upcoming session of parliament. The participants were in agreement that there is a need for separate police stations for women. They also recommended that policemen should be posted at all police stations in order to aggrieved women to register their cases without any hesitation in front of a lady police officer.