Experts and researchers at a workshop have asked the Multan city district government to must ensure elimination of judicial bias against women and all judges were advised to undertake training to eliminate gender bias in their approach while handling cases of sexual and domestic violence.
They stressed that judges should receive special training in the terminology, significance and courtroom use of medico-legal evidence. The experts and researchers stated this at a two day workshop organised by directorate general of social welfare, women division's 'Women Protection Project' in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit-GTZ (German Agency for Technical Co-operation) here on Wednesday.
The experts said that victims of gender based violence including women and girls suffer from multiple forms of abuse in their whole life cycle in Punjab and facing mechanism of severe neglect, strict subordination, verbal abuse, sexual harassment at work place, bettering, stove burning, acid assaults, gang rape and honour killing.
Speaking at the occasion, the principal advisor Yasmeen Hamdan said that GTZ providing co-operation in health sector reforms (NWFP), capacity building of women development ministry, strengthening TB dot programme in NWFP/Fata, hydro power promotion programme, education development in NWFP, renewable energy and energy efficiency, health services academy, supporting federal bureau of statistics, basic education for Afghan refugees.
The GTZ co-operation is being done in result of agreement between government of Pakistan and Federal Republic of Germany, she said. While discussing violence against women in Punjab the WPP/GTZ national expert Dr Khola Irum analysed that harassment and fear of violence has become permanent constraint on the mobility of women and limits their access to resources and basic activities.
The violence against women has been generating high costs of illness, partial/permanent invalidity, absence from school and work, care and medical costs, maintaining shelter homes, administrative costs (police, judiciary), low work productivity, insufficient use of human resources in labour market, she said.
While highlighting major obstacles in millennium development goals, Dr Irum said the violence is generating poverty, hampering education, imperils gender equality, killing infants, threatening their health and it spreads HIV/AIDS. She said the major goal of WPP is to prevent violence against women and introducing measures and their implementation in Punjab in accordance with National Action Plan.
The project has two components, which include immediate care/support systems for victims, survivors and prevention from violence against women. The formal standards and guidelines would be developed in result of continuous, formalised collaboration between the government and civil society. Effective support systems would be established, carrying out awareness raising activities and monitoring violence against women, positive achievements, she said. The co-ordination between federal, provincial and district level would be improved to increase impacts.