ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s First Lady Begum Samina Alvi, On Wednesday while emphasizing the significance of women’s role in the country’s development, said that an inclusive and progressive society could not be possible without empowering women in every sector of life.
Addressing an event held in connection with International Women’s Day by the Behbud Association of Pakistan, she said it was the responsibility of everybody to ensure a conducive environment for women to provide proper education and training, enabling them to live a life with respect and dignity.
Highlighting the role of the association in empowering females, Samina Alvi said that since its inception, the Behbud Association has empowered nearly 1 million women by offering skills and training in different fields.
She said women comprised half of Pakistan’s total population, and their participation was crucial to ensuring the economic development of the country.
The First Lady said that the women’s literacy rate in Pakistan was much lower as compared to the men’s. She said the country also needed to improve its current rating of 142 out of 147 nations in the Global Gender Gap Index.
Samina Alvi said improving the women’s literacy rate would automatically improve the overall literacy rate in Pakistan, as educated women will never let their children become illiterate.
First Lady Emphasizes Self-examination to Tackle Breast Cancer
As regards her drive to create awareness about breast cancer, she said self-examination was very critical to ensure early diagnosis of the illness, adding that early diagnosis of breast cancer was curable.
Likewise, she also called for creating awareness about mental health, which is vital to avoid mental stress and keep people healthy.
She urged the business community to help establish vocational training centres for differently-abled persons to enable them to stand on their own feet and contribute towards the country’s development.
