Women Empowerment is the most vital tool empowerment the session of Women and for development of society. Despite many Reproductive Health: Entrepreneurship, international agreements affirming their Innovation & Leadership was organized on human rights, women are still much more 14th February 2013 in the conference Looking likely than men to be poor and illiterate. They Forward & Looking Beyond: Millennium usually have less access than men to medical Development Goals After 2015 - Improving care, property ownership, credit, training and Health Indicators in Pakistan Post 18th employment. They are far less likely than Amendment. men to be politically active and far more likely to be victims of domestic violence. In the past decades, there has been mush investment in This discussion was organized under the “Our health and education of women and girls in World”- Women Leadership in Reproductive developing countries but there has been a Health & Development (WLRHD) project, a 3 slow growth in economic opportunity for year project of LEAD Pakistan and David & women. Lucile Packard Foundation. The purpose of the

project is policy engagement through a series In Pak i s tan the s ta te o f fema le of multi stakeholder engagement activities entrepreneurship and empowerment is for policy discourse on the important dismal. Even with increasing population of developmental issues such as millennium women, their participation in the nation's life development goals and health, population is much less than their population. Culture, h ea l t h a n d c l i m a te c h a n g e a n d traditional mindset, gender inequity and entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation. inequality, lack of autonomy for decision making, economic disparity are some of the barriers preventing women empowerment The session started with the presentation of and economic growth. Sarah Javeed who explained Pakistan has

more than 70 laws related to labour issues. In July 2012, LEAD Pakistan arranged stakeholder dialogue on the topic of The Constitution of 1973, in its Principles of 'Pakistani Labor laws in corporate and social Policy section, declares that “steps shall be sectors of Pakistan' and 'Implementation of taken to ensure full participation of women in Gender Protection Laws in the Corporate & all spheres of national life” (Article 34). S o c i a l S e c t o r o f P a k i s t a n . T h e Furthermore, Article 37 (e) of the Constitution recommendations of this dialogue were says, “The State shall make provisions for compiled into a discussion paper Labor Laws, securing just and humane conditions of work Gender and Reproductive Health: An Analysis ensuring that children and women are not of Pakistan. This paper discusses the present employed in vocations unsuited to their age status of women's social and economic or sex and for maternity benefits for women empowerment in Pakistan and a review of in employment.” In addition to there are labour laws in the country which cover specific Articles that support women's role in women workers and to what extent the country's economic development and reproductive health rights are represented in condemns any form of discrimination and these laws. exploitation. “The recent Women's Protection

Law (2011) and the Sexual Harassment Bill In order to share the findings of this research (2012) has been a positive development but amongst different stakeholders and to discuss t h e r e a r e s e r i o u s c o n c e r n s o f policy challenges for promotion of women i m p l e m e n t a t i o n , co m p l i a n ce a n d

Background

Proceedings

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Small Group Meeting Exploring Issues of Women Entrepreneurship in context of Labour Laws, Gender and Reproductive Health in Pakistan 14th February 2013, Lahore

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accountability. The existing labour There was debate on the the Ombudsman for Women, if laws need to be reviewed and participation of women in unions they are not satisfied with the repealed to address specific needs and more so for home based internal proceedings of the of women workers. This should not workers. There are over 20 million concerned organisation.only apply to just maternity leaves women workers in Pakistan are but a more holistic view of the engaged in home based work. The This session was useful in paving women's reproductive needs as a working hours of these women the way for a more focused recognized and integral part of all range from 12 to 16 whereas their discussion with policy makers, labour laws considering women daily income is Rs. 10 to Rs. 50 only. government representatives and have equal rights according to the Although women working from civil society for policy discourse Country's Constitution.” their homes make a significant and recommendations.

contribution to the national The next speaker was Tara Uzra e c o n o m y, t h e i r w o r k i s Dawood CEO, Dawood Capital undervalued. These home-based Management Ltd. & Founder, workers lack access to formal LADIESFUND who spoke on the sources of credit, so it is not policy challenges in promoting uncommon for them to become women entrepreneurship in indebted to their contractors in Pakistan. Commenting on the key times of need such as sickness, challenges she said “Pakistani accidents, childbirth, marriages or women's participation in the deaths. Often, this accumulated formal labour force is still among debt is difficult to pay off. It is a the lowest in the. According to the vicious cycle of dependency and Pakistan Labour Laws, women exploitation. In March 2013, the have a right to maternity leave but Cabinet of the Punjab Provincial in most cases it is considered a Government in Pakistan adopted a favour by the employers rather Home-Based Workers Policy, based than a right of the mother. Women on the 2012 Punjab Home-Based o f rep roduc t i ve ages a re Workers Act, which recognizes d i s c r i m i n a te d a g a i n s t by home-based workers as “workers” employers who fear that they will and extends social protection to not be able to deliver as much as them. Punjab is the first province in required. “ Pakistan to pass a law and policy

for home-based workers. The This was followed by a discussion Punjab Home-Based Workers Act amongs t t he pa r t i c i pan t s and Policy include the major moderated by Irfan Mufti. Deputy elements of the Draft National Director, South Asia Partnership Policy for Home-Based Workers in Pakistan. The participants agreed Pakistan but the participants that there is a serious dearth of agreed that there are numerous information on labor laws and issues of implementation. reproductive rights. There is a need for sensitization employers and The discussants said that the employees so that both parties government needs to regulate and understand their legal obligations monitor the private sector which at and rights. Gender sensitization is present is out of the legal loop. needed for all the people so that There was strong emphasis on they know about legal protection. implementation of laws.

Mrs. Kokab Parveen , Former “Harassment at work place, President -Central and North although addressed by a recently Women Chamber of Commerce passed bill, remains extremely brought attention to the issues of under-reported. The overall women workers in the informal perception amongst women is that labour force. She said that there such “inconveniences” have to be have been several cases where the borne and not taken to court.” Dr. e m p l oye r s p u t i n h u m a n e S a l e e m B a s h i r A s s o c i a t e conditions, such as no marriage or Professor Kinnaird College for no pregnancy during employment, Womenon women upon hiring. This issue takes added significance when T h e F e d e r a l O m b u d s m e n noting the high composition of Institutional Reforms Act was labour force being of informal lauded by which ombudsmen can sector. take swift legal action. The victims

of sexual harassment can also seek redress of their complaints from

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æAmnah Amjad æArshed RafiqæDr. Adnan KhanæFarrukh Nisar ul HaqueæFozia Chugtai æIrfan Mufti æIsmet Leghari æJaved Pasha æMrs. Kokab Parveen æMuhammad JavedæMirza Abdul QadiræProf. Naseer A. ChaudharyæDr. Noor-uz-Zaman Rafiq æNida Akhtar æRukhsana Khan æMrs. Ruhi SayidæDr. Saleem Bashir æDr. Sarwat Mirza æSarah Javeed æDr. Salik Nawaz æShaista Khalid æSyed Wasim Iqbal æSyeda Anum Fatima æTara Uzra DawoodæDr. Yasmeen QaziæZulfiqar Ahmed

Hasan RizviWaqas SheikhSyeda Yumna Hasany

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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

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