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Global Entrepreneurship Week – A Road Map Of Entrepreneurs
Young Female Entrepreneurs, Future of Pakistan....
Brian Tracy said , " A society is prosperous only to the degree to which it rewards and encourages entrepreneurial activity because it is the entrepreneurs and their activities that are the critical determinant of the level of success, prosperity, growth and opportunity in any economy.
Unfortunately Pakistan has the lowest entrepreneurial activity in South Asia, and this about the whole, if we talk about women entrepreneurship in Pakistan the situation is worst. Women have strong economic rights in Islam and there is a tradition of women in business,women entrepreneurs face larger obstacles in accessing credit, training, networks and information, barriers in the legal and policy framework and as a result may not achieve. Women entrepreneurship is also considered very important for women empowerment. There are several reasons which stop young men and women of our country to start their own business and join the entrepreneurs ' community.
This week is being celebrated as Global Entrepreneurship Week around the globe to promote entrepreneurial activities in the region and to provide a platform to youngsters where they can share not only different ideas but their fears and their ambitions with each other. In Karachi GEW was organized by CIPE and celebrated at Marriott, where the lead speakers of the session were Hammad Siddiqui ( social media strategist and Deputy Country Director CIPE ) , Talha Ansari (Director at Xenith PR & event) and Kamal Faridi (CEO at 22 four).
A thoughtful session where different thoughts were shared by mainly the students from IBA, ZABIST, Indus Valley school of Art and different universities and institutions of Karachi. What I like most about the session is the presence and active participation of young female students or I must say future entrepreneurs in a large number. The all young females took an active part in the discussion and share their brilliant ideas with others they also discussed about the problems they faced and the problems they could be face i.e
- Law & enforcement situation
- Society hurdles
- lack of facilities
- legal problems
- financial issues
- family bounding.
In the same country where young females would not be allowed to get education I can see the young girls presenting their ideas about their future business, they are discussing about how they can solve the problems and clear their way to success. I left the room with a new hope of betterment of our society. Thank you CIPE for creating an opportunity for the young females in this male entrepreneurial world. :)
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Women Empowerment in Pakistan
Women Empowerment in Pakistan
on its way...........
Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah said, " “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are
side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime
against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the
houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable
condition in which our women have to live.” well its a very well self explanatory quote, Jinnah said in 1947, a hot topic for discussion and most needed action of these days around the globe.
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| Pakistani women gradually get confidence |
Women's situation in Pakistan
In Pakistan, the women have no contribution in most activities or decision making, and this can be seen as a major obstacle towards development. And women’s participation in civil and social activities, and their contribution on a national and international level, is necessary in order to progress gender equality and reduce gender disparities, thus steering the country towards development. Furthermore, there is no doubt that without women’s participation, a country is unable to achieve success in matters relating to politics, sports, and the economy etc.Women possess equal rights, as much as men do in progressing development – be at home, or in formal or informal environments, women are taking their responsibilities seriously, and in a sincere and committed way.
The women make more than half
the population of the country, but sadly they are not treated well. Struggle from different non governmental organizations and some courageous women of the country to make a change in their lives showing
a ray of hope to every female. Domestic violence is one the harsh
realities of a Pakistani women. Activists who work for women cause say
that many women remain in violent relationships because they believe
they must obey their husbands and that divorce is a shame. Majority of the women population has same thoughts because of lack of education. One third of women in Pakistan are uneducated and have very little concept about making their own choices.
According to a report of NGO White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) Pakistani women are subject to increasing abuse.
Increased cases of violence are being reported each year in Pakistan.
According to the report: “sexual harassment at the workplace, abuse,
beating, and rape were some of the forms of violence against women.”
Misconception about women empowerment
In general, few people have misconception that women empowerment and
gender equality is a foreign agenda, people
also think that women empowerment will destroy their society set up and
women will not obey their husbands or their family, but its only misconception women all over the
world have been facing challenges and gender inequalities since the
beginnings of history.
According to Quran and Hadith
Quran and the Hadith both also emphasize on the protection of the rights of women,
including the rights of education, worship, freedom of opinion, choice
of spouse, economic freedom and social role.
So what should we do ?
Pakistan government has taken many measures to enhance the
participation of women in economic sphere but instead of all this, there
is a terrible need to upgrade the status of women in society and it is only
possible through giving them protection legally and mentally. She should
be given access and control over resources. An effective mechanism
should be institutionalized to enable the women in decision making at
all levels. Subject of gender studies should be introduced from
secondary level in the course curriculum, provision of women friendly
infrastructure and environment at workplace, research and documentation
on the achievements of women and launching of awareness raising
campaigns among citizens on gender and development.
Pakistani women can achieve their goal by joining hands together and
motivating each other. Educate women which will ensure awareness of what
is happening to women around the world today is an essential step
towards improving their situation. It is a surprising fact that women
are made to do some of the things simply because of the fact that they
are women. No one can change the world by themselves, but many people
doing a little can make a real difference in the society.
Women and Men Need to Pull Together and Unite Forces:
A famous Pakistani saying :“A man and a woman are like two wheels of a cart. The cart can move fast and safely when both of them are pulling the cart in the same direction, and with equal strength, but if one of the wheels is damage, nothing will be possible.”
Bottom Line
No developing country or society can afford to ignore the role of a woman, if it desires progress.Click here to watch a video about women empowerment in Pakistan.
Readers, need your feedback and your views about the issue.
Harassment at workplace
Bigger than any issue, Sexual Harassment of women at workplace is the most common issue around the globe. without any restriction of race, religion, country or society women around the world facing the issue at all levels, either she is working in a office or in a field, the problem is same.
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| Harassment at work place |
What is a sexual harassment?
According to Wikipedia Sexual harassment is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors In most modern legal contexts sexual harassment is illegal. As defined by EEOC, "It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Although it applies on both women and men but unfortunately in this men's world women suffer in a large number. ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that One in four U.S women has experienced workplace sexual harassment, now come to home sweet home,
In Pakistan harassment at the workplace is, to date, not recognized as a punishable offense,
In Pakistan harassment at the workplace is, to date, not recognized as a punishable offense,
don't know how long we should wait to get the recognition like so many other issues. Because of this many women do not get as much support as they should get, in fact a complaint can create even more problems for the woman being harassed. I know a couple of NGOs who work for the said issue one is Bedari and the second is Aasha an umbrella group of six NGOs formed in 2001, assisted in drafting a
code of conduct for the workplace, which has served as the foundation of
the anti-harassment bill. Data on the number of women affected by harassment is hard to come by since there is
no law under which cases can be registered.
Ambreen Ajaib who has been working as a psychologist with Bedari said I see about 50 to 70 women per year. Now the question is why these women need to see a psychologist, the answer is because the sexual harassment of women at workplace effects them and have very serious consequences.
Maheen Usmani, who used to work at Dunya TV, says she faced even more
problems after she filed a complaint against the channel's
managing director, Yousaf Mirza Baig. "He would call me late at night,
stare me down during
meetings and eventually he started cutting out TV reports that I had
worked on." In what eventually became a famous case, Usmani says she was
barred from entering her
own office and later heard defamatory rumours about herself.
There are so many women around us in real life who suffered or still facing the situation, I was also a victim of harassment at work place, and I cannot forget the stress, indirect pressure and unpleasant working conditions, and I could not got any help due to lack of awareness about the issue.
Effects of sexual harassment:
The consequences to the individual employee can be many and serious. In some situations, a harassed woman risks losing her job or the chance for a promotion if she refuses to give in to the sexual demands of someone in authority. In other situations, the unwelcome sexual conduct of co-workers makes the working conditions hostile and unpleasant- putting indirect pressure on her to leave the job. Sometimes, the employee is so traumatized by the harassment that she suffers serious emotional and physical consequences—and very often, becomes unable to perform her job properly.
According to data complied by Equal Rights Advocates, a women’s law center in the U.S., 90 to 95% of sexually harassed women suffer from some debilitating stress reaction, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem. The effect on the morale of all employees can also be serious. Both men and women in a workplace can find their work disrupted by sexual harassment even if they are not directly involved. Sexual harassment can have a demoralizing effect on everyone within range of it, and it often negatively impacts company productivity on the whole.
Despite the fact that due to great Red tape we are not able a get a right time for having a law for the said issue we still hope and looking forward to an Anti Harassment bill and of course the implementation of the bill, which is the most important part.
Your views will be welcome openly about the issue, do write.....
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