ISLAMABAD: First Lady Begum Samina Alvi has emphasized the importance of the role of women in the development of the country while saying that a progressive and inclusive society cannot be possible without the empowerment of women in all spheres of life.
Speaking at an International Women’s Day event organized by Pakistan’s Behbud Association, Samina Alvi said it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure an enabling environment for girls and women that enables them to receive proper education and training and enable them to live a dignified life. and respect.
Appreciating the association’s role in women empowerment, she said that since its inception, Behbud Association has empowered around one million women by imparting skills and training in various fields.
She said that women constitute half of the total population of the country and their participation is very important to ensure the economic development of the country.
The first lady pointed out that the literacy rate of women in the region is much lower than that of men. She said Pakistan also needed to improve its current rating of 142 out of 147 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index.
She said that improving female literacy rate would automatically improve the overall literacy rate of the country as educated women will never allow their children to become illiterate.
Regarding her campaign to create awareness about breast cancer, Samina Alvi said that self-examination is very important to ensure early diagnosis of the disease, adding that early diagnosis of breast cancer is curable.
Similarly, she also called for creating awareness about mental health which is very important to avoid mental stress and keep people healthy.
In particular, she called on the business sector to help establish vocational training centers for the differently-abled so that they can stand on their own feet and contribute to the development of the country.
Earlier, the first lady distributed shields among the workers of the association.
Lieutenant General Dr. Speaking on the occasion, Nigar Johar said that Behbud Association is playing an important role in empowering women.
She said Islam taught women to have equal opportunities to work side by side with men.
The President of the Behbud Association in Pakistan, Abida Malik, informed me that a 100-bed hospital is under construction under the auspices of the association and will be completed within a year.
President Behbud also appreciated Samina Alvi for playing a remarkable role in creating awareness about breast cancer and other health and social issues.
