Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said there is no alternative to education and economic emancipation of women for their empowerment and checking violence against them, reports BSS.
"There is no alternative to education and economic emancipation for the advancement of women and girls. To cut all forms of violence against women, their education and empowerment must be expanded," she told the news agency in a recent interview on the occasion of the International Women's Day 2025.
Rizwana said women continue to face never-ending hurdles, as a vested quarter do not want to see women empowerment in society.
She also said if women can be developed as skilled and competent human resources, they would be able to play a pivotal role in advancing the country. To this end, the state and families as well as the society have a responsibility, and the path of women should be smooth like that of men.
Recalling the gender disparity that women face in the families and at workplaces, the environment and water resources adviser noted: "No matter what position women reach in life, the higher the position becomes, the more structural barriers emerge (against them)."
Stressing the need for creating a positive perception about women to create a prosperous nation, she said families must come forward first towards women's empowerment, and they should stand by their women as a shield in any crisis. If the families do not stand by women, it becomes difficult for the state to ensure women's safety and security.
Observing that women's participation has increased in various sectors of the country, she said this scenario could not be imagined a few years ago.
Claiming that women's empowerment continues to thrive in the country, Rizwana said those are more visible now, as women's resistance has gone up.
Underscoring the need for having gender policy in all educational institutions, the adviser said girls must be protected, if they face sexual harassment at schools and at the same time, perpetrators should be punished.
Asking the women not to compromise on the question of their empowerment, she opined that in workplaces, women should go ahead keeping pace with men.
