PESHAWAR
\nIn effort to review provincial government response toward Gender Base Violence (GBV) and state of institutional structure to ensure better service delivery in all districts, Awaz II hosts a consultation meeting here on Friday.
\n\u201cThe Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is establishing facilities to help survivors of gender-based violence learn skills that will help them become more self-reliant.\u201d This was stated by Deputy Secretary, Social Welfare & Women\u2019s Empowerment, Ms. Warda Latif at the consultation on \u201cProtection and Response Mechanism for Gender-Based Violence Survivors\u201d organised by Aawaz II programme on 8 June 2023 in Peshawar.
\nThe event brought together more than sixty women, persons with disabilities, transgender persons, and religious minorities from across the province, including the districts of Peshawar, Nowshehra, Buner, Lower Dir, Abbottabad, Mardan, Malakand and Kohat.
\nThe Deputy Secretary explained that 125 industrial training centres have been upgraded to provide advanced skills for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors, linking them directly to the market, which is a substantial step towards reintegrating violence survivors in society.
\nThe Deputy Secretary also gave details of efforts to expand and improve Dar-ul-Aman and extend the outreach of the Bolo Helpline.
\n\u201cAawaz II has its presence in 14 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a focus on addressing issues related to gender-based violence, child marriages and social cohesion. The programme has established volunteer forums at village, district and provincial levels which link service providers with the community to respond to their needs directly\u201d shared by Ms Rafat Yasmin, Gender and Inclusion Advisor, Aawaz II.
\n\u201cDistrict Committees on the Status of Women (DCSW) have been nominated in all districts of the province, but their official notification is pending due to the need for amending the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women law to align the DCSW with KP\u2019s local government law,\u201d stated Ms. Amna Durrani, Director Programmes, KP Commission on the Status of Women.
\nMr Zikriya, Programme Analyst Gender\/GBV from UNFPA Peshawar Office said that government departments like Police, Health and Social Welfare must have strong coordination at multiple levels to ensure effective delivery of services for protection and response to gender-based violence.
\nSpeaking about the importance of consultation, Ms. Rashida Dohad, Executive Director of Omar Asghar Khan Foundation that is Aawaz II\u2019s lead partner in KP, shared that this consultation is of utmost importance to gain insights from their experiences in accessing these services present at the district level.
\n\u201cThe struggle for women\u2019s empowerment and the enactment of laws addressing domestic violence have been long-standing battles. However, it is essential to recognise that these bodies and laws hold little significance if we fail to establish the necessary structures at the district level that effectively respond to the needs of women experiencing violence,\u201d she said.
\nAawaz II Programme works with local communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to promote the rights of women, youth, religious minorities, and other vulnerable groups, to work towards a more inclusive, tolerant and peaceful Pakistan. Aawaz II is a programme managed by the British Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR In effort to review provincial government response toward Gender Base Violence (GBV) and state of institutional structure to ensure better service delivery in all districts, Awaz II hosts a consultation meeting here on Friday. \u201cThe Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is establishing facilities to help survivors of gender-based violence learn skills that will help them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-336650","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n