Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi says equal opportunities for women essential, at Quetta workshop

QUETTA: Provincial Adviser on Women Development Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi has said that providing women equal opportunities in education, health, employment, economic empowerment and decision-making is essential for sustainable social and economic development.

To promote gender equality, it is necessary to ensure reliable data, evidence-based planning and effective institutional measures, rather than relying only on policies and announcements.

She expressed these views while addressing a two-day training workshop on the National Gender Parity Indicators Framework for stakeholders in Balochistan. The workshop was held in Quetta in collaboration with the United Nations agency UNFPA, the Women Development Department of the Government of Balochistan, the National Commission on the Status of Women and UNICEF.

Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi said the National Gender Parity Indicators Framework is an important tool for identifying gaps between women and men in different sectors, measuring progress and making policymaking workable.

The framework will allow a systematic review of gender equality in various sectors, including education, health, economic opportunities, political participation, leadership and decision-making.

Women’s economic participation

She said the social, economic and educational challenges faced by women in Balochistan make reliable gender data even more important. Keeping in view the differences between urban and rural areas, Districts and social groups in the province, she said, policies are needed that reflect ground realities and give women equal opportunities for progress in practice.

The adviser said that, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey 2020-21, the labour force participation rate of women aged over 15 in Balochistan was about 8 per cent, against 43.6 per cent for men. She said this points to a large gap in women’s economic participation.

Similarly, the Balochistan Gender Parity Report 2024 also highlights the need to increase women’s participation in economic activity and their employment opportunities.

She said that for women’s economic empowerment, it is necessary to provide skills training, Business opportunities, access to financial resources, a safe working environment and institutional facilities suited to women. She said the Balochistan government is committed to making its measures for women’s education, health, protection and economic empowerment more effective.

Protection and representation

Dr Rubaba Khan Buledi said preventing gender-based violence, protecting women’s legal rights, ensuring their right to inheritance and increasing women’s representation in public and administrative institutions are also a collective responsibility. For this, she said, coordinated cooperation among government departments, educational institutions, civil society and development partners must be promoted.

Highlighting the importance of the training workshop, she said that building the capacity of officials and stakeholders in the relevant departments will help in collecting and analysing gender data and compiling it in line with national-level indicators. She said this will not only highlight the real situation in Balochistan at the national level but also help assess the effectiveness of policies and development projects and distribute resources better.

The adviser appreciated the cooperation of UNFPA, UNICEF and the National Commission on the Status of Women. She said the joint role of all relevant institutions is a pressing need for women’s development and empowerment. She expressed the resolve that the Women Development Department will continue its efforts to promote gender equality in Balochistan, protect women’s rights and effectively include them in the national and provincial development mainstream.