Ms Fouzia Vaqar is the Chairperson of the Provincial Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), Punjab. In this interview she talks about the role of PCSW. She discusses the problem of women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan and current indicators of women’s status. Whilst women’s participation in economic activity is increasing, but a lot of this relates to home based work when earnings are minimal and unrecognised, and women face a lot of harassment and denial of rights. She highlights areas where legislation is needed, and outlines some of the mechanisms already in place for providing support to women.
The first part of the interview appears below:
In the second part of the interview (which appears below), the discussion turns to inheritance rights and the links between women, property and honour. This part of the interview also talks about the economic impact of domestic violence, and the lack of control women often face in relation to their earnings.also PCSW offers a helpline service to women facing the types of problems discussed in the interview.