International/National Women day of Pakistan 2022
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International Women Day 8th march in Pakistan
How we celebrate International Women Day in Pakistan is a popular topic for debate among the general public. It is an important day that celebrates the human right to gender equality and women’s rights. The aim of this day is to raise awareness on how to tackle gender inequality and how it should be tackled. This year, 2020 marks International Women Day in Pakistan having been celebrated in India by the first ever ‘National Assembly Resolution Women in Global Citizenship Scheme (NAWGS)’. Today we look into the history of NAGSW, how this day was originally held, as well as current events around the world. On 28th July 2019 Pakistan organised its National Assembly Resolution condemning violence against women and girls. The resolution had brought about major attention from organisations and people worldwide which included UN Women, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, UNESCO, FAO and many more. The United Nations secretary-general was reported to have said “it would not be appropriate to remain silent on such a sensitive issue as human rights, especially when our focus is to ensure sustainable development and progress in economic, social, and cultural terms”. International Women Day is observed on 22 June each year by various movements across the globe. It is considered by some activists to be the fourth Universal International Women’s Day because it happens every three years. These days, there are numerous activities happening daily across the country. Here is all you need to know:
International Women’s Day History & Date
The World Conference Against Violence Against Women (WCAG), the global campaign against violent women and girls, began on 22 March 2000 when the conference began being held.
The conference was organised in Rome, Italy by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). International Women's Day in 2001 became officially recognised on 24 December at the start of the month following the adoption in Australia of the Womens Equality Amendment Act of 1985 for the Gender Equality (Protection of Human Rights).
The Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), also known as Protocol No 10 of CEDAW, came into force on 31 May 2010 which gave women the basic tenet of their rights.
International Women's Day falls on 23rd June.
Women's Right To Education (WRE)
In 1993, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Status and Status of Women (COP). Under Article 2(1) of COP, access to education for women was a constitutional guarantee. Moreover, the states had to ensure universal and equitable access to education for all girls and women by 2015. However, this progress had not been made for nearly two decades. Thus, the countries started to recognize and address existing inequalities and obstacles that prevent women from attaining the full complement of human rights as envisaged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, and other international agreements. However, the efforts were hampered by various factors including the HIV/AIDS pandemic, lack of adequate funding and institutions/system, low literacy levels, limited support for girls' education, lack of infrastructure, discrimination on the basis of caste, religion etc. So, during this year, they called for further reforms in the education sector for girls and women.
UNICEF's role
UNICEF has played a key role in ensuring human rights for children and young adults since 1990. It focuses on the promotion of fundamental education, health, shelter, protection, environment, justice, justice, peace and human dignity around the world. UNICEF works to improve the quality and accessibility of primary and secondary education, promote sexual reproductive health and reproductive rights, promote gender equality, improve maternal health and nutrition, protect children from all forms of discrimination or violence against any form, women and girls, improve early childhood as well as child development, empower women and youth with information and communications tools, ensure child survival and protection by preventing all forms of child marriage, and ensure minimum standards of living of least one person per family. More than 60.8 million learners around the globe have lost their lives due to starvation and malnutrition, 1.7 million women and young girls have become victims of domestic abuse, and 200 million children and women have fallen victim to prostitution and drug trafficking.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted Lives: A Woman's Tale
The corona virus disease 2019 pandemic has caused unimaginable losses of life and livelihood. According to the WHO, in the period ending 1 January 2020, there were over 3.5 million deaths related to Covid-19. Nearly half of the global population have died. While there has been immense death and suffering globally; in fact, Pakistan stands alone among the top 20 countries in terms of death rates.
The impact of the pandemic also extends beyond the healthcare system where most hospitals and health facilities were forced to limit services to treat only those who had tested positive for the virus. There has also been shortage of drugs, personal protective equipment (PPE) due to scarcity of funds, medical supplies, sanitizers and even vaccines. As healthcare workers continue to receive treatment, many are getting infected along with their family members. Many have lost their lives due to the unavailability of ICU beds, ventilators, oxygen, medical devices and many others. With poor and under-staffed healthcare systems, hospital staffs have continued to work longer hours with less pay, leading them to work hard to complete their duties. Hospitals that remained operational were overwhelmed by patients. This led to higher mortality rates, reduced productivity and stressed hospitals and health care systems.
A woman's story through pandemic and her response - Pregnant Woman With Postpartum Hemorrhage
With her pregnancy reaching a critical point in October 2020, Ms Khushal Khan, 24-year old midwife of Lahore University Teaching Hospital's department of Obstetrics and Gynecology received confirmation of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) due to preterm birth, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of PTI Women's and Children's Hospital. As a result of severe hemorrhaging during delivery of placenta, Ms Khan got into a shock and was immediately rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after receiving immediate medical assistance from fellow nurses. After several blood transfusions and antibiotics were administered, she started showing signs of recovery but unfortunately the condition deteriorated again soon and sadly she died on November 19, 2020, due to Covid-19 complications. Her body was cremated in the presence of mourners on 17th December, while cremation of the body took place on 15th February 2021 in her hometown of Multan Pakistan.
