Working Women Organisation (WWO) representatives have demanded of the government to abolish anti-women laws, including Hudood Ordinance, and take concrete steps to ensure implementation of existing labour laws in letter and spirit.
Addressing a news conference in connection with International Women Day, WWO President Rubina Jamil and its Information Secretary Aima Mahmood said it was very unfortunate that in both the public and the private sectors industrial organisations women were being exploited and subjected to physical and mental torture by their male colleagues.
They proposed to protect the women workers from the atrocities of brick-klin owners, saying the labour department should constitute committees with proper representation of women.
They also called for taking punitive action against the brick-klin owners running private jails.
Rubina Jamil said 70 percent women in the world are facing worst kind of poverty while according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, 20 percent women are subjected to physical torture at the hands of men.
Similarly, she claimed two-third women of the total world population are illiterate.
In Pakistan, she said 50 percent women are subjected to physical torture while the ratio of mental torture is 90 percent.
Aima Mahmood demanded for reduction in working hours, saying that minimum wages for industrial workers should not be less than Rs 5,000 per month. She also called for implementation of ILO conventions and enactment of legislation to protect women workers from sexual harassment.
About the International Women Day, the WWO representatives said like rest of the world it would be observed in Pakistan on March 8 to pay tribute to women workers who in 1907 in US raised voice against long working hours and exploitation of women.
They said the WWO would hold a seminar and a rally at the Lahore Press Club to highlight the significance of International Women Day.
"We would also approach the women parliamentarians, and urge them to play their role for women cause and join hands with them to eliminate the exploitation of women working in industrial organisations as well as in the farm sector in rural areas", they added.