Faisalabad: March 20, 2013. (PCP) The acts of violence against women continue to rise in Pakistan for having its link to their overall lack of empowerment, therefore women’s rights needs to be protected and their role in society must be acknowledged, this was emphasized by the speakers at a Conference entitled “Contribution of the Political Parties to Protect Women’s Rights” held at Press Club in Faisalabad on March 7, 2013. The event was hosted by the Peace and Human Development (PHD Foundation) and the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD). The director of the PHD Foundation, Suneel Malik said, “The discrimination that women face in the society has its roots in homes. It is unfortunate that men who commit hideous crimes against females know that they will not be held accountable.” “The day we stop discriminating against girls at homes and end up punishing the victims instead of standing in solidarity with them, the society will start moving in the right direction, and giving women dignity in the society,” he added. The director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “It’s not just a few individuals who subject women to injustice; it’s the entire society, especially where women are victims of social taboos. It is the attitudes that need to be altered to allow social progress, therefore we must renew our pledge to combat gender based crimes from the society, and the minds of people who allow violence to continue.”​ A legislature, Khalida Mansoor said, “The men must come forward to be a part of the campaign to end injustice, and provide women and girls with the security, safety and freedom they deserve.” “The PML-N reaffirms it commitment to creating an enabling environment and protecting women from all kinds of exploitation and discrimination. We promise to give high priority to emancipation of women and ensure their equal rights by eliminating every kind of violence against them,” she promised. A political activist of the Pakistan People’s Party, Noor un Nisa Malik said, “The federal government has enacted far reaching reforms for protecting women from harassment on the one hand and empowering the poorest of the poor women through the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) on the other.” “The party will prosecute perpetrators of crimes against women, and never allow women to be subjected to punishments for the abuses, they have suffered,” she declared. A legislature, Razia Joseph said, “The Punjab government has taken revolutionary steps to ensure protection of women rights, and to provide them equal opportunities, due to which women are now playing a vigorous and effectual role in progress, prosperity and development of the country.” A political activist of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Dr. Najma Afzal said, “The Punjab government has taken concrete steps to bring women into the mainstream of progress and prosperity.” “After coming into power, PML-N will improve the living standard of the women in rural and urban areas through provision of all basic necessities and equal chances of development,” she pledged. A political worker of the Awami Workers Party, Arif Ayaz said, “The rights of the unregistered women workers engaged in informal sectors including home-based workers, peasant workers and domestic workers must be protected and they must be recognized as part of the labour force.” An educator, Samina Waheed said, “Ensuring free, compulsory and universal education, enrollment and completion of high school by all girls and boys, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or geography, is imperative for empowerment of women.” Mujahid Gillani Advocate said, “The effective participation of females in political and practical fields is essential to make Pakistan a strong and dignified country in the comity of nations.” The director of the ASDP, Amina Zaman said, “Several laws have been introduced to protect women, including the Protection against Sexual Harassment at Workplace, but there is a lack of effective mechanism to ensure their implementation. These laws will remain more or less ineffective unless institutions monitoring the implementation of laws are strengthened.”​