ISLAMABAD: Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs, stated on Tuesday that the current administration is taking several measures to empower women in order to strengthen their position in society.
She also described women as an integral part of national development. The SAPM said that under the Digiskills program, the government is conducting fee-based courses for men and women without any discrimination, which is changing the lives of thousands of people. The seminar was titled “Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality” and was held here in conjunction with International Women’s Day. She claimed that the goal was to give women the newest digital skills. 2008 saw the launch of Pakistan’s first digital policy initiative, ICT for Girls, by the Punjab Government.
According to Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was the Chief Minister at the time, gave 5 million laptops and internet devices to students in 2008 with the intention of fostering digital education and giving the next generation the chance to work from home. During the Covid -19 pandemic, these laptops turned into a source of employment for the youth, she continued. According to her, the government is doing everything it can to help young people learn new skills and is holding bootcamps to encourage an entrepreneurial culture. According to the SAPM, the government has relaunched the laptop program, as part of which students will receive 0.1 million laptops.
She stated that various short courses would also be offered, and both men and women would be given equal consideration. Only 22% of Pakistani women can use the Internet, according to Shamama Arbab, founder of Euro Industries, who spoke at the event. She claimed that women are underrepresented among online digital entrepreneurs as a result of cyberbullying, a lack of family support, and other similar issues. She stated that in order to empower women, we must all play a part, and housewives should be given the same opportunities as everyone else.
