The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) in support with the Ministry of Human Rights & UN Women launched a commemorative postage stamp to spread awareness about gender-based violence in the country and to honor the victims. The first session of the event was a round table consultation on the increasing incidents of violence against women issues with Chairperson NCSW, Ms. Nilofar Bakhtiar and top leading gender experts in Pakistan. A resolution/charter of demands was then created and signed which pinpointed the mechanisms to reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence in the country which was shared to the audience at the end of the event. The second session of the event was an art exhibition consisting of pieces of art from the NCSW poster competition held in 2021 and 2022, as well as artwork brought in by Nagin Hayat from the Nomad Gallery and the Czech Embassy. This commemorative stamp was selected after a poster competition on ending violence against women which was help on December 2022 during the 16 Days of Activism and approved by the Prime Minister. In the opening remarks of the final session of the launch of stamp launch ceremony Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar welcomed the audience, “Today, we come together not only to raise our voices against these injustices but also to chart a course towards change. Strategizing the rise of violence against women requires a multi-faceted approach—one that is rooted in collaboration, education, advocacy, and policy reform.” Sharmeela Rasool, Country Representative UN Women while addressing the audience, appreciated the leadership of the Chairperson and shed light on the importance of art as a tool to combat social issues. Chairman Pakistan Post Hafiz Shakil Ahmed Qureshi, in his remarks, stated how grateful he was to play his role in empowering the national narrative on women’s rights. Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar with Country Representative Sharmeela Rasool, Chairman Hafiz Shakil Ahmed and Qureshi and Vaclav Jilek, Economic Advisor Czech Embassy launched the commemorative stamp. Lachmi from Tharparkar graced the occasion by singing a folksong. The ceremony ended with a vote of thanks by Secretary NCSW Khwaja Imran Raza. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
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