Faisalabad: January 31, 2015. (By Aqsa Kanwal) Arooj-e-Mariam Catholic Church, Faisalabad organized a 3-days (23rd to 25th January, 2015) orientation and Skill development workshop titled “Education on Peace and Human Rights” at Centre for Peace and Harmony in Faisalabad. The purpose of the workshop was to expose trainees to human rights concepts, instruments, Principles, Standards and Mechanism, to update the trainees regarding state of women rights in Pakistan, to educate trainees about the values of Peace and Religious Harmony and their prevalence in Society and to provide useful knowledge about Women Rights and Gender based discrimination in the light of legislation, policies, curriculum & traditions. 40 Muslim and Christian participants including teachers, students, social workers and representatives of civil society organizations from Faisalabad, Jhang, Okara, Toba Tek Singh and Sahiwal actively participated in the training. Father Nisar Barkat (Director-DCIDE), Mr. Shahid Anwar (Executive Secretary NCJP-Faisalabad), Maulana Abdul Samad, Fr. Nadeem John Shakir, Madam Romana Bashir (Director PDF organization), and Ms. Aqsa Kanwal were among the facilitators of the workshop who shares their valuable input on different topics through lectures, presentations, videos, activities and group works. The contents of the training were: Human Rights: Concepts, Principles and instruments, Human Rights Violations: Fact finding and reporting, Discrimination against women in the constitution and legislation, Recent development in legislation concerning women rights, Legal Rights and remedies, Role of Religions to promote culture of peace and tolerance, Concepts of Peace, Harmony, Tolerance and non-violence, role of Civil Society in promotion of Peace and harmony, communication skills, Women Empowerment: Challenges and Resolves and Youth as Change agents and Role Model. Bishop Joseph Arshad said, “Youth is the hope for peace and harmony. I want the youth to be the peace ambassadors. Only peaceful people can make a society peaceful, armed people can never develop a minor shape of peace, religious extremism has named as ‘jihad’ that is why so many religious organizations are working in Pakistan”. Father Nisar Barkat said, “We have to make certain changes in our behavior and must overcome the violence in our homes to make the society developed, peaceful, non-violent and prosperous”. “It is responsibility of a good leader to raise voice against injustices and human rights violations which leave negative effects on the society”, he added. Maulana Abdul Samad said, “Dialogue is the only way for the end of extremism and for the establishment of peace and harmony in the country, by which values of love, acceptance, tolerance and union can be promoted.” Fr. Nadeem John said, “Government and private print & electronic media should avoid presenting discriminatory material, and should play their positive role for the promotion of peace and tolerance. And Government should adopt peaceful means to curb tendency of violence, extremism and wrong practice of religion. Madam Romana Bashir said, “Promotion of peace is our duty and access to justice is our right, therefore peace cannot prevail without ensuring justice and human rights in the country, because where there is justice, there is peace and where there is peace, there is respect for human rights”. Mr. Shahid Anwar said, “Government should regard the ratified United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discriminations against women (CEDAW) and should ensure its implementation”. “Change in the social attitudes towards women is impossible without ensuring eradication of biases and discriminations on the basis of sex and gender in the laws, policies, curriculum and tradition”, she added. Ms. Aqsa Kanwal said. “Women face several challenges in almost all social, economic, educational and political fields of life, because distinction between man and woman is made in the cover of culture and social typical attitudes.” Therefore, empowerment of women is the only solution to the development of society in general and Pakistan in particular. Through this juncture facilitators and participants called upon the government: • To take immediate measures for the eradication of religious and cultural traditions & customs against women, • To introduce laws against gender based violence and repeal discriminatory laws and provisions against women, • Abolish all forms of discriminations existing in the constitution, laws, policies and curriculum against women and religious minorities; • Ensure implementation upon the existing domestic laws for the protection of human rights and rule of law; • Curriculum must be free from all kinds of hatred material and syllabus must be made a source for the promotion of human rights, peace, equality, harmony, tolerance and social values; • Media should avoid advertising discriminatory material against any religion, and should play its positive role for the promotion of peace and religious tolerance. At the end of the workshop His Excellency Joseph Arshad (Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Faisalabad) awarded certificate of Participation to the participants on the successful completion of the training workshop.