Well, it’s a known fact that Pakistan is predominantly based on a male-centric society but the importance and role of women in its overall progress and growth can never be undermined. Women make up nearly half of the population of the country, according to a World Bank report released in 2020. Governments on both national and provincial levels are making serious efforts for the development and empowerment of women — striving to create an equal opportunity society.
The formation of the Women Development Department is certainly a remarkable achievement of the government of Punjab. It is one of the key institutions working on a large scale to facilitate working women and female entrepreneurs in the region.
In this blog, we are going to give you a complete overview of the Women Development Department Punjab, detailing many of its major initiatives, packages, programmes, services and other important highlights.
Services of Women Development Department Punjab
The Women Development Department (WDD) is serving society in many different ways. Here are some of its main activities and services:
Development and Administration of Working Women Hostel
According to the official website of the Women Development Department, there are currently 16 hostels for working women that are administered by the provincial government. These facilities are found in over 12 districts of the province, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sahiwal Vehari, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Sargodha.
The total capacity of these hostels is around 625 beds. The main objective of these facilities is to provide working women with secure and economical places to stay who are away from their hometowns and do not have any other suitable and safe accommodations.
24/7 Helpline for Complaints and Assistance
In collaboration with the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, the WDD also has a toll-free helpline based on a 4-digit number: 1043. For the convenience of the general public and quick response, the helpline is available 24/7.
The team that is managing and supervising these operations is based on female call agents, legal advisors, supervisors and other support staff. Complaints can be registered against gender discrimination, workplace harassment, domestic violence, property disputes and inheritance rights, employment quota for women in the public sector, and various other social and economic issues.
Punjab Day Care Fund Society (PDCF)
The Punjab Day Care Fund (PDCF) Society is formed to manage and oversee matters related to the establishment and maintenance of the daycare centres across the province. The organisational body also makes sure that these facilities are being developed in both public and private sectors (if required) in line with the international standards for daycare and learning.
Moreover, the Directorate of Women Development (DWD) and Punjab Secretariat PDCF Society are also working together to look after the overall requirements and matters pertaining to the fund disbursement for the development and sustenance of these daycare centres across the province.
Initiatives and Relief Packages for Women Empowerment
The WDD is actively involved in proposing, managing and looking after many different types of initiatives and relief packages centered around women’s empowerment. Some of the key pointers in this regard have been listed below:
- Formation and promotion of women protection law to safeguard the rights of acid attack, gender discrimination, harassment, assault, and domestic violence victims.
- Creation of women-centric policies to bring necessary amendments in inheritance, if deemed necessary.
- Specifying quota’ to a certain percentage of the total attendance for women in all employment sectors and posts in public service departments.
- An equal share of remuneration and wages between men and women serving in the public sector.
- State-of-the-art disease treatment facilities for women living in rural areas of Punjab.
- Business training programmes for tens of thousands of women entrepreneurs aiming to start their professional careers with small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
- Skills development initiatives for thousands of female students with a stipend monthly income.
- Establishment and initiation of interest-free microfinance services to empower thousands of women to start their own businesses.
Final Word
The Women Development Department Punjab is committed to empowering women working on individual and organisational levels, paving the way for an equal opportunity society that will function with a more forward-looking approach and broader perspectives.
Well, this was pretty much everything you needed to know about Punjab’s WDD and its related women-centric initiatives. We hope you found this piece informative and useful. If you have any feedback or queries related to the topic of women’s empowerment in Pakistan, please feel free to reach out to us at blog@zameen.com.
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Cover Credits: Official website of the Women Development Department Punjab
