The acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi Professor Dr Nasira Khatoon said that women are now fulfilling all traditional responsibilities as well as playing a significant role in various walks of life. She observed that societies cannot be developed without women as they are one of the main pillars of civilized societies.
She lauded that this is a very good sign that females are now getting professional education and playing their part in the development of our beloved country. “The development of any country depends on its manpower and it should be kept in mind that almost half of the population of the country is based upon women.”
She was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the one-day international conference titled “Gender Equality for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Appreciating Women’s Role”, organized by the Center of Excellence for Women’s Studies University of Karachi on Tuesday at the Arts Auditorium.
On this occasion, the Director Women Federation for World Peace Canada Professor Dr Erum Siddiqui delivered an online keynote address on cultural diversity and women/human rights. She emphasized that the world has many diverse cultures and traditions which must be protected under protection laws and which must be free of biases for the sustainability of culture. The concept of women empowerment must be widened to cultures as it will reduce the gender stereotypical roles from societies.
Meanwhile, Professor Dr Arifa Sayeda Zehra from History and Pakistan Studies Department, Forman Christian College, Lahore talked about discrimination and its impact through weblink and identified that the absence of equal appreciation of the contribution of every citizen and interpretation of the law, due to ignorance or ill will, becomes the basis of discrimination and denial to the basic human rights.
The Associate Professor of Arts Heather Layton from the University of Rochester USA enthralled the audience by the online art display about the weight of optimism: contemporary art that honors women’s labor. She mentioned that visual narratives do not intend to suggest an ideal, but rather to provide opportunities to see and appreciate the extraordinary contributions that women have made in blindsight.
The Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Science Professor Dr Nusrat Idrees said that we have a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-linguistic society. In such a diverse society, women play significant roles by bridging the gap between various segments of the population.
During the second session of the international conference, Professor Dr Riffat Haque from Peace and Conflict Studies Department of the National Defence University Islamabad talked about the role of women in promoting peace while this session was chaired by Professor Dr Anila Amber Malik.
Meanwhile, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, member Standing Committee on Primary Health and Secondary Health, talked about “Women Economic and Political Challenges”, Muhammad Asif Khan, Mphil Student and Dr Seema Manzoor, Assistant Professor KU CEWS shared their paper on the topic “Analyzing Social Media’s Impact on Psychological Well-Being of Women in Pakistan”, Dr Huma Baqai, Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, IBA, Karachi talked about “The Legacy of Pakistan’s Iron Lady Benazir Bhutto Lives on”.
The in-charge KU CEWS Dr Asma Manzoor said that women in Pakistan make up almost 48.54 percent of its population and that’s why the role of women in the country’s socio-economic development cannot be undermined.
She advised that women must bring to the mainstream in achieving social, economic, and political development. Dr Asma Manzoor informed the audience that the purpose of this international conference is to share extensive research with the practitioner, academicians, government authorities, and concerned people to eliminate women emerging problems that arise daily including gender discrimination, gender biases, female gender pay gap, violence-related incidence must be addressed at earliest to give equal rights to women in the society
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