Lack of awareness about “Right to Identity” key obstacle for missing women voters in Karachi
Karachi (18 August 2023):
Awareness about women’s legal right to get CNIC and the right to vote is essential for women in many parts of Karachi, said Justice (Retd.) Majida Rizvi at a training organized by PODA at the National Commission on Human Rights. Now is the right time to do it before elections, she added. She urged the trainee women participants to help women register as voters in Karachi.
Ms. Anis Haroon, Member Sindh for National Human Rights Commission said the Election Rules 2017 should be amended to add a section on protection of transgender and women with disabilities. She said section 170 (vii) of ECP rules notes protection of women’s right to vote but does not mention protection of transgender and women with disabilities if they face harassment. “We hope the new election rules for upcoming election will add these protections”, she added. Anis Haroon said it is not acceptable that millions of Pakistani women are still considered missing voters because they were not able to get CNIC or register as voters.
The day-long Training of Trainers for “Building the Capacity of Community Women Leaders to Promote Votes without Violence” was organized by PODA organization in collaboration with Sindh region office of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) with support from NDI and USAID. The master training was attended by 15 promising women leaders from seven districts of Karachi including women from Christian and Hindu communities, women with disabilities and transgender women and women heading community welfare groups, women lawyers, teachers, social activists, student leaders and women engaged in small business and entrepreneurships. The training was provided through a Manual developed by PODA that included practical information about political rights of women including the right to have a legal identity and the right to vote peacefully and how to monitor violence during election that leads to denial of women’s right to vote. Women learnt about their constitutional and universal rights. Each trainee will now give the same training to 50 women in her local area in the next two months to increase the number of women with knowledge about peaceful election process. The women trainees also learnt that the Election Commission of Pakistan has established a District Voter Education Committee (DEVAC) that is required to include women as members to ensure gender equity and each DEVAC is supposed to create awareness on how women can register as voters. Only one out of 15 women trainees knew about DEVAC before the training but now they are all aware and will be facilitated by PODA to become local members. The training was conducted in Urdu that was appreciated by the participants.
Ms. Sameena Nazir, executive director of PODA said that strengthening human rights knowledge of rural women leaders based on our constitutional rights is important so that the women can become local leaders to teach about democratic rights of women in Pakistan. She said if there are more women who know about the importance of peaceful election that will give more women the confidence to come out and vote and also run in elections as candidates. Mr. Kapil Dev from UN Women Sindh office and advocate Chandan Malhi also spoke at the event and explained different aspects of elections laws and its link universal standards of free and fair elections. Ms. Saima Jee, a trans rights activist said she is happy to attend PODA training and now she feels more capable to address voter registration issues of trans women”.
The Master trainers will now start preparing to deliver this training in different parts of Karachi to reach to women, transgenders and women with disabilities in marginalized areas of Karachi where less than 10 per cent women votes in the last election and those polling stations showed less numbers of women voters.
The training was also assisted by the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women in Karachi with support from the team of SCSW and guidance from its Chairperson Ms. Nuzhar Shireen. The training was supported by NDI and USAID Pakistan.
For more information contact PODA at programs@poda.org.pk / 03008505185.