Outcome PAK_D_1.1

By 2027, women, girls and transgender persons in Pakistan, especially those at greatest risk of being left behind, benefit from an enabling environment where they are empowered and reach their fullest potential; and their human, social, economic, cultural and political rights are fully protected and upheld.

In this reporting period, UN Women PCO makes significant progress towards the Outcome. Pakistan’s first Anti-Rape Crisis Cell (ARCC) was launched in Karachi in August 2023 allowing survivors of sexual violence to access timely and effective justice. UN Women contributed significantly to the establishment of ARCC through rigorous lobby with the Government of federal and provincial governments for notification of the ARCCs and technical assistance to ensure gender responsiveness, victim-centered and human rights approach were effectively mainstreamed in the establishment and operationalization. After two months of its launch, the Karachi ARCC has assisted 21 survivors of sexual violence – 15 females and 6 minor males, or 32 percent of the total rape cases in the first ten months of 2022. The ARCC model is planned to be replicated across Pakistan. UN Women also partnered with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the EU-funded Rule of Law Programme to ensure that justice sectors are equipped with knowledge and capacity on law implementation and service delivery for VAW/GBV survivors. In addition, UN Women also engaged women and men community members in the establishment and operationalization of the Women Community Centers which acted as a community mechanism to provide supports on VAW and GBV essential services. A total of 18,031 women and girls benefitted from 90 Women Community Centers.. In response to Afghan displacement, enabling environment is enhanced in four provinces, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan through targeted interventions with the host communities, particularly with the elders and authorities of the local communities, to foster acceptance and trust between the displaced and host communities. A Memorandum of Understanding have been signed with Women Chamber of Commerce in one district and with a micro-finance institution to ensure sustainability of the business endeavours of the Afghan women. UN Women engaged local civil society organizations in developing and implementing gender mainstreaming socioeconomic interventions that best addressed the needs of displaced Afghan women and girls. As a result, a total of 1,971 Afghan women, 63 male family members and 556 Afghan children (117 male, 439 female) of women beneficiaries, benefit from enabling environment where they are provided opportunities for development of their livelihood skills, self-development contributing to their empowerment and sense of agency and lawful access to exercise their rights including immediate release from arbitrary arrests and detention. UN Women coordinated with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to ensure alignment and reflections of the interventions in partnership with CSOs were reflected in the Afghanistan Refugee Response Plan 2023. The Anti-harassment law was improved to enable victims of workplace harassment to seek justice. The amendment expands the definition of ‘harassment’ to include gender-based discrimination that creates an abusive and hostile working environment. UN Women provided technical support the Parliament on the gender review of the legal mechanism and implementation to promote gender balance in decision-making institutions and processes including the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP) law. Advocacy efforts were directed towards the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP) law to address barriers to voter registration including a lack of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) by disenfranchise citizens, particularly women. UN Women worked with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Ministry of Labour in addressing barriers in accessing social protection schemes and welfare faced by marginalized women including women home-based workers. As a result, a total of 11,500 women including 28 transgender persons operating from their homes were registered in the Home-Based Workers database and 22,200 women and girls obtained CNIC and other civic documents enabling them to access education, health care, legal protections and economic opportunities including access to markets. This has enabled the opportunities to engage in market, thus improving their income by 30%.

By 2027, women, girls and transgender persons in Pakistan, especially those at greatest risk of being left behind, benefit from an enabling environment where they are empowered and reach their fullest potential; and their human, social, economic, cultural and political rights are fully protected and upheld.

Women, girls and transgender persons in Pakistan, especially those at greatest risk of being left behind, benefit from an enabling environment where they are empowered and reach their fullest potential; and their human, social, economic, cultural and political rights are fully protected and upheld. An enabling environment for women and vulnerable groups was improved in various thematic areas including ending violence against women, access to justice, social cohesion, political participation and economic empowerment and resilience. This has resulted in women and vulnerable groups are more empowered and able to take actions at national, provincial and national levels. Law and policy formulation and implementation was improved through technical supports on gender lens and gender-disaggregated data as well as multiple interventions including advocacy, capacity building, awareness-raising, sensitization sessions and information campaigns addressing harmful practices and norms hindering women and marginalized groups in accessing services and information as well as participation in politic, leadership, decision-making, and economy. Multiple pro-women laws including the Anti-Rape Act and Home-Based Workers Laws were supported through capacity building programs, infrastructure improvement and refurbishment and outreach to vulnerable groups to ensure effective implementation. The replication of the Anti-Rape Crisis Cell (ARCC) model launched in 2023 was successfully initiated across Pakistan including in Lahore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh provinces. The district-level EVAWG alliances established with support from UN Women Pakistan successfully enhanced knowledge on laws and women’s rights and improved linkages between government department/service providers and community members, contributing to reduced lack of trust in justice system resulting in women and marginalized groups better access justice and services. As a result, women and vulnerable groups including displaced population are better equipped with knowledge and skills to actively and meaningfully participate in communities and are engaged in leadership and decision-making positions in both public and private spheres.