Pakistan Catholic Women's Organization celebrated international women's Day with the support of St. Paul's Shahdbag Parish Lahore

Lahore, Pakistan: March 12, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

Pakistan Catholic Women’s Organization celebrated international women’s Day with the support of St. Paul’s Shahdbag Parish Lahore on 7th March 2010. The theme was “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for all”.  The women participated from different areas of the parish and the total participation was three hundred.

The program started with the Eucharistic celebration. At the end of the Holy Mass Rev. Fr. Francis Gulzar welcomed and introduced PCWO staff (Ms. Rosemary Noel National Coordinator, Ms. Shaheen Yousaf Diocesan Coordinator Lahore). Ms. Shaheen Yousaf detailed the background of the international women’s Day and said that   event originated in 1908 in New York City, women garment makers demanded better working conditions in the company. Those Women used to work in poor working conditions and earned half wages as compared to men. They did not have the right to vote. In 1910, an international conference of women determined that each year a day should be set aside to press for women's demands and International Women’s Day stands for equality between women and men. That day was marked for women‘s struggle and remembered the battles for a long fought to build a society that is fair to all its members in a society in which diversity, tolerance, safety, social justice and social equality between women and men. Women celebrated that day to come to know the ground realities what they have done and what they can do.

Shaheen Yousaf further share in her input session on women situation in Pakistan that women play an important role in development of the country but still we could not see them in mainstream due to poverty, lack of education, less opportunities to come forward and discriminatory laws and customary practices. The woman of Pakistan face discrimination from her childhood because nobody celebrates her birth in the family like they do for boy, they are given the left over food, not prefer to get education and they are handed over in marriage without their consent. All these challenges keep them behind in all fields of life. She highlighted that our government and state organs introduced different discriminatory laws to define the status of the women which devalued their dignity and identity in the society.Ms. Rosemary shared on primary heath care of women and said that women do not get basic health facilities in our county. Due to lack of awareness and customary practices women are treated like animals and they have no right to decide for their life and heath before and after marriage. During pregnancy they are not given required medical care or nutrition. While giving birth, unavailability of heath care render the women weak and even causes disability or death.

She discussed on women’s heath, maternal and child heath, cancer and infectious disease (dengue fever malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/ AIDS) and said that unfortunately women have lack of knowledge to secure and cure from these diseases. Women should get knowledge and training to look after self and their families. Ms. Shaheen Yousaf shared on the causes and effects of sexual harassment before women and children and said that our society brutally effected but we are still silent to raise these issues due to set norms. But it is a responsibility of the parents to aware their children and mentally prepare how to secure themselves in that situation.  They concluded that if we wanted to see a peaceful and developed country, we should be provided with equal rights and equal opportunities to women and involve them in decision making process at all level and demand the repeal of all discriminatory laws and customary forms.A variety and games program took place after the input session and women participated in games and had fun. At the end Fr. Francis Gulzar thanked CWO staff, Rev. Fr. Saleem David (Assistant parish priest Shahdbag Parish) and parish team for all support and cooperation.