Islamabad, October 28,2026: Women leaders, government representatives, diplomats and lawyers have called for coordinated efforts to strengthen women’s electoral participation, improve access to justice and combat violence against women and girls at the 19th Annual Rural Women Leadership Training Conference organised by PODA.
On the second day of the conference, the Director General of Gender and Social Inclusion at the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Nighat Siddique, highlighted persistent disparities in voter turnout, noting that some of the largest gaps existed in urban centres, including Karachi Central and Faisalabad, while Chakwal had one of the smallest gaps.
Addressing around 1,000 rural women leaders representing approximately 120 districts, Siddique appreciated organisations such as PODA for their efforts to promote women’s electoral participation.
She said the ECP’s gender-mainstreaming initiatives, including campaigns for national identity cards and voter registration, had reduced the gender gap on electoral rolls from 11.8 per cent in 2017 to 6.4 per cent in 2026. However, approximately nine million women remained unregistered.
She added that the number of women working at the ECP had increased from 42 to 242. During the 2024 general elections, the Commission established gender complaint desks, deployed female electoral officials closer to their residences and provided gender-sensitive training to 1.4 million election officials.
Since November 2022, more than 4,000 youth awareness sessions had also been conducted to encourage voter participation.
Siddique said accessibility measures, including ramps and postal ballots, had been introduced for persons with disabilities, expectant mothers, transgender persons and older voters. She added that the ECP and NADRA would facilitate doorstep registration through mobile vans, while NADRA had allowed identity card registration without a birth certificate or Form-B until June 2027.
Women leaders at the conference highlighted persistent barriers to birth registration, Form-B issuance and access to national identity cards, stressing that many women continued to face difficulties exercising their right to vote freely and without fear.
Former Sindh Commission on the Status of Women chairperson Nuzhat Shirin, MNA Sofia Saeed and Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Shahnaz Kapadia appreciated PODA’s efforts to provide women and girls with a platform to discuss their concerns and translate deliberations into conference resolutions and action plans.
A major session focused on preventing violence against women and girls, examining national and international practices for prevention, protection, rehabilitation and access to justice.
Participants discussed the widespread prevalence of domestic violence, which has traditionally been treated as a private matter, and highlighted the roles of government institutions and civil society in strengthening legislation, raising awareness and encouraging survivors to seek support.
Ireland’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mary O’Neil highlighted her country’s zero-tolerance approach to violence against women, emphasising prevention, protection, prosecution and coordination among institutions.
German Ambassador Ina Lapel also appreciated the efforts of women’s rights activists and stressed the importance of safeguarding women’s dignity and safety. Both ambassadors acknowledged that domestic violence remained a challenge in their respective countries and underscored the importance of the rule of law, reporting abuse and collective action against gender-based violence.
Fauzia Viqar, Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace (FOSPAH) and former founding chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, urged women to report harassment and seek legal remedies.
She said workplace harassment laws covered not only incidents within offices but also relevant situations in places where women were present or travelling for work-related purposes. She emphasised that reporting was essential to securing justice and ensuring effective implementation of existing laws.
Sindh Women Development Minister Shaheena Sher Ali reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to protecting women’s rights, safety and dignity and safeguarding them against violence and discrimination.
Rukhshanda Naz, a women’s rights activist and chairperson of Noor Education Trust and Mera Ghar Shelter Home, brought a delegation of more than ten lawyers to provide free legal assistance to women seeking remedies.
Naz said civil society in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had secured domestic violence legislation after 28 years of advocacy. She urged women to exercise their rights under existing laws and stressed the importance of collective efforts to achieve lasting change.
Noureen Bano Lehri, chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), said the high number of reported violence cases partly reflected improvements in reporting mechanisms. She highlighted the growing role of social media in bringing abuse cases to public attention.
She said the NCSW was working closely with the Supreme Court of Pakistan on issues affecting women and seeking the permanent removal from social media platforms of individuals found responsible for harassing women and girls or engaging in other forms of online abuse.
Lehri also emphasised the need to involve men and boys in preventing violence, noting that educating boys remained a neglected area. The Commission was prioritising awareness sessions in boys’ colleges and providing information about helplines available to survivors.
Rubina Aman Brohi, chairperson of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, expressed concern over the rise in digital violence against women and girls, particularly technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Referring to the case of student Fahmida Leghari, who died by suicide, she said the Commission was investigating the matter in depth to help address such cases effectively.
Brohi encouraged women to report online abuse and highlighted the role of multisectoral committees in coordinating government responses to gender-related concerns. She also pointed to the proposed Sindh medico-legal bill and plans for one-stop protection centres as measures to strengthen support for women.
Dr. Sumera Shams, chairperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women, acknowledged weaknesses in the implementation of existing laws but said the province’s domestic violence legislation would soon be fully enforced. She stressed the need to improve women’s awareness of their legal rights and available protections.
Kiran Baloch, chairperson of the Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women, said fear of family reactions often prevented girls from reporting violence. She highlighted awareness campaigns in schools to encourage girls to speak up and shared the provincial helpline 1089 and office telephone number 081-9204010 for reporting harassment and seeking assistance.
A delegation of women lawyers from Sindh also shared its experiences, noting that the growing number of women in the legal profession had made it easier for survivors to seek assistance. The lawyers reaffirmed their commitment to protecting women’s rights and helping survivors pursue legal action.
The delegation reported a significant increase in the number of women lawyers in Hyderabad division, from approximately 700–800 to more than 7,000 over a decade, attributing the growth to sustained efforts.
The conference highlighted the need for stronger institutional coordination, effective implementation of laws, accessible legal assistance and greater public awareness to advance women’s rights and ensure that women and girls can participate fully in electoral, social and economic life.
