Strengthening Rural Women’s Political Participation In Electoral Process

News Desk

Peshawar: Violence against women in elections (VAWE) is a pervasive challenge in Pakistan that undermines women’s equal access to the democratic process as voters, candidates, polling staff, polling agents and elected leaders, stated expert trainers during a session.

A day-long training of trainers for ‘Building the Capacity of Community Women Leaders to Promote Votes without Violence’ was organised by the Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy (PODA) in Peshawar.

PODA Project Manager Dr Adnan Arshad said that it is not acceptable that millions of Pakistani women are still considered missing voters because they were not able to get a CNIC or register as voters. He urged the trainee women participants to help women register as voters in their districts.

Project Coordinator Raheema Sultana further said that if there are more women who know about the importance of peaceful elections, that will give more women the confidence to come out and vote and also run in elections as candidates.

Raheema also shared that the Election Commission of Pakistan has a District Voter Education Committee (DEVAC) that is required to include women as members and to create awareness on how women can register as voters.

She encouraged the participants to become members of DEVAC in their districts to work closely with ECP.

Khyber District First Female Election Officer Shahana Akhtar explained that the ECP launched a CNIC/Voter Registration Campaign to decrease the gender gap in the electoral rolls by increasing registration of women as voters and enhancing peaceful participation of women in the political process in the district.

Peshawar High Court Bar Association Advocate Nida Khan mentioned that Election Rules 2017 Sections 167, 170 and 171 prohibit harassment, violence and coercion of women in the electoral process.

Raheema sensitised the attendees to the pressing issues surrounding women’s participation in elections, the threats posed by cybercrime, and the remedies to mitigate these challenges.

Additionally, Project Coordinator provided information on how women may combat cybercrimes during elections and provided the FIA email address for reporting cybercrimes, such as hate crimes against women and character assassination of female candidates.

The master trainers will now begin preparing to deliver this training in various parts of the Khyber district in order to reach women, transgender people and women with disabilities in marginalised areas where less than 10 per cent of women voted in the most recent election and those polling stations showed fewer numbers of women voters. APP