The speakers of the seminar titled 'Effects of violence against women on the society', organised by Arooj-e-Mariam Catholic Church, call upon the government to ensure implementation of existing laws for the protection of women; repeal discriminatory laws and customary practices against women; ban jirga system, make better the system of police stations, establish educational and technical institutions for the empowerment of women and establish effective women shelters for victims of violence.
Father Nisar Barkat (Director-NCJP), Suneel Malik (Secretary-NCJP), Kehkshan Newton (Award), Shazia George (Co-ordinator-AWAM), Shafiq Sharif, Aqsa Kanwal and Naila Arooj were among the speakers of the seminar held at Centre for Peace and Harmony in Faisalabad.
Father Nisar Barkat said, "Violence is a social tool used against the women which begins from some extreme concepts regarding cultural traditions, customs, sex and religion, and reduce the value of women against men in all aspects of life". Suneel Malik said, "Violence against women is the root cause of violence in the society, so it is imperative to eliminate different forms of violence to establish a peaceful and prosperous society".
Kehkshan Newton said, "Violence against women hurts women physically and mentally, and badly affects their dignity, self-respect and self-confidence". "The culture of violence can never be removed from the society without ending violence against women", she added.
Shazia George said, "Traditional violence against women is considered as social right of men in our culture, so it is not recognised as violence in our society". "All forms of violence against women are hindrance in the way of sustainable development of the society, so they should be eradicated to protect the rights of women", she added.
Shafiq Sharif said, "The practical co-operation of men is needed in the movement for ending violence against women. Aqsa Kanwal said, "Women have been victims of violence since centuries in the cover of typical cultural tradition; therefore there is a need to provide them equal opportunities and representation in all spheres of life".