Pakistan Catholic Women's Organization organized women's get-together with the support of Cathedral parish

Lahore, Pakistan: March 29, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)



Theme: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for all

Pakistan Catholic Women’s Organization organized women’s get-together with the support of Cathedral parish on 14th March 2010. The theme was “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities and Progress for all”. The 70 men and CWO members attended the program.

CWO member shared 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.

Ms Shaheen Yousaf (Diocesan coordinator Lahore) welcomed all the guests and CWO members in program. Ms. Rosemary Noel (National coordinator CWO), Mrs. Joshnan Azeem (Director of Christian women development Association) and Mrs. Virginia (CWO member) shared her views 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.

They encouraged the women that we would always struggle for our rights and played our important role in the formation of good family and development of the 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 they added.

Women took part in different games, sung beautiful songs and dance together to make more colorful and memorable the day. Mrs. Rehana (CWO member) thanked all the guests and participants at the end.