LAHORE: The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) has showed concerns over obtaining authentic data regarding violence against women in Punjab to complete its annual Punjab Gender Parity report.

It is pertinent to mention that two of the annual Punjab Gender Parity reports have been published so far.

Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) is fully committed and taking measures to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.

This was stated by Chairperson Fauzia Viqar, while addressing a delegation led by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director Ignacio Artaza.

In a discussion on voter registration of women in Punjab, she said that PCSW monitored the process of local government elections held in 2015.

PCSW’s members and volunteers not only urged women to cast their vote, but also monitored the electoral process for security, separate polling stations for women, and presence of female polling officers.

The commission maintained correspondence with concerned quarters to ensure mainstreaming of women in the electoral process and ensuring that female voter registration in the province rises before the upcoming General Election in 2018, she said.

Fauzia Viqar briefed the delegation regarding PCSW’s functions, statutory mandate, and achievements within 3 years of establishment.

She expressed her concern regarding obtaining authentic data regarding demographics, governance, health, education, economic participation, and violence against women, for the purposes of the annual Punjab Gender Parity Reports, two of which have been published so far.

Country Director UNDP Ignacio Artaza lauded the commission’s efforts towards research on women’s shelters and inheritance rights, advocacy for stronger redress mechanisms in cases of violence against women, setting up the pilot transitional home for women victims of violence, evidence-based policy-making, and promoting women leadership in Punjab.

He expressed the UNDP’s keenness to develop a framework and enter into a strategic partnership with PCSW, a suggestion which was endorsed by the PCSW chairperson.