Women Development Department is promoting gender equality

Lahore: Women Development Department, Punjab since its establishment in April this year, has focused on promotion of gender equality and protection of women while safe guarding their rights. Secretary Women Development Ms. Irum Bukhari as the founding head of the Department has also led efforts within provincial government to provide institutional mechanism for protection of Women.

As a result of these endeavors, two important bills are being introduced in the next session of Provincial Assembly for protection of women rights.The first piece of legislation titled “The Punjab Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Bill 2012” has been proposed by Women Development Department. The federal law on the subject is being adapted by Punjab government with amendments to enhance protection of working women. The second bill concerns amendments in Punjab Land Revenue Rules 1968 whereby district committees for protection of right of inheritance of women shall be formed. The objective for introducing these amendments is to ensure appropriate penal action against those delinquent revenue officers who due to collusions, non-exercise of due diligence or mala-fide intention, deprive a legal heir of her right or award less share or less valuable land in the mutation partition to women.

Irum Bukhari Secretary Women Development while addressing an important meeting with stakeholders today expressed the hope that the two bills poised to be tabled in the provincial legislature shall bring about positive socio-economic outcomes. She stated that Women Development Department shall continue its efforts for safeguarding women rights in line with Punjab Women Empowerment Package 2012 announced by Chief Minister Punjab.