Urgent calls for enhanced legislative scrutiny of harassment laws, swift justice for victims of sexual violence, and the establishment of dedicated government bodies to protect vulnerable women and children from rising human trafficking dominated discussions at the launch of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) Annual Report 2024-25 on Tuesday.
The report, launched at Parliament House by the WPC of the National Assembly under the convenorship of MNA Syeda Shahida Rehmani, chronicled a year of significant progress but also served as a platform for parliamentarians to demand more robust action on critical gender issues. The event was organised with support from its development partner, UN Women.
The Annual Report 2024-25 showcases major achievements, including the historic establishment of WPC chapters in all four provincial and legislative assemblies for the first time in Pakistan’s history. In her keynote address, Ms. Rehmani acknowledged the cross-party contributions of caucus members and reaffirmed a commitment to keeping gender-sensitive legislation central to the parliamentary agenda.
Among other landmark initiatives detailed in the report were the convening of Pakistan’s first Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Workshop on Gender-Sensitive Legislation after a four-year interval, the National Women’s Convention 2025 themed ‘A Unified Vision for Empowerment’, and high-level conferences addressing gender-responsive budgeting and the links between poverty and gender inequality.
During an open-floor session, MNA Shaista Pervaiz Malik emphasised the need for greater scrutiny of harassment laws, while Senator Rubina Qaimkhani proposed forming dedicated parliamentary committees to comprehensively review and address gaps in existing legislation. Underscoring the need for a non-partisan approach, MNA Tahira Aurangzeb highlighted the role of parents in fostering respect and equality from an early age.
The profound impact of terrorism and security challenges on women was raised by MNA Samar Haroon Bilour, who advocated for the inclusion of female lawmakers in economic and security decision-making and called for an increase in women’s job quotas. Similarly, MNA Asma Arbab Alamgir stressed the need for adequate funding for women parliamentarians to effectively address issues in their constituencies.
Further proposals included internship opportunities for law and social science students within legislative bodies and adopting international best practices to curb cybercrime, as advocated by Senator Rubina Khalid. Senator Khalida Ateeb stressed the necessity of strict implementation of existing laws for the protection and welfare of women.
Concerns were also raised about the accuracy of international gender parity reports, with MNA Naeema Kishwer Khan noting that the frequent omission of provincial data negatively affects Pakistan’s global rankings. Other members called for specific legislation for the protection and rehabilitation of female prisoners and a more structured engagement with the WPC to support their societal reintegration.
Concluding the discourse, MNA Huma Chughtai advocated an integrated, regional approach to women”s issues, proposing the establishment of a South Asian regional secretariat to ensure women”s access to due process of law across borders, while Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro highlighted the ongoing need to address legislative gaps and ensure adequate female representation at all levels of government.