In Pakistan, gender-based violence (GBV) is deeply rooted in traditional norms and cultural practices. While it affects women and girls from all backgrounds - regardless of their social or economic status - women and young girls from poor and marginalized households are most vulnerable to GBV. GBV includes physical, psychological and sexual violence, trafficking, early or forced marriages, social and economic violence, and subjugation of women's agency.
In a move that demonstrates commendable political will, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif's recent Education Emergency Conference addressed a pressing issue: Pakistan's dismal education indicators. With 26 million out-of-school children - the highest number in the world - the situation demands urgent and effective action. The government's pledge to allocate $25 million over the next five years to boost enrollment rates and its initiative to link the Benazir Income Support Programme with education stipends are steps in the right direction. These steps deserve both praise and the full support of every Pakistani citizen.
As general elections approach, a group of civil society organisations is demanding the prioritisation of education in manifestoes of all political parties. The demands outlined by the Vote for Safe Education consortium are a clarion call for a seismic shift, placing education at the forefront of the national agenda. The agenda has been developed following extensive consultations with stakeholders, including marginalised groups across the country.
Islamabad:In a resounding call for national reckoning, Zehra Arshad, the Executive Director of the Society for Access to Quality Education (SAQE) and National Coordinator of the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE), declared a state of emergency for education in Pakistan. With an estimated 25 to 28 million children currently out of school, Arshad asserted, "We, as a nation, no longer have the luxury to treat education with indifference and neglect that consequent governments have meted out in the past."
As Pakistan prepares for general elections, it is imperative that the education agenda takes centre stage in the political discourse. For too long, education has been treated as a subject of marginal consequence. This neglect has resulted in an overwhelming population of young people who are illiterate and unskilled and, therefore, lack favourable prospects in the global market.
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