Speakers at a workshop on Thursday called for motivating the female graduates to capitalize the overseas higher education opportunities, narrowing down the gender gap in education and other fields and make the people aware about women rights in order to overcome gender based violence incidences.

Speakers at a workshop on Thursday called for motivating the female graduates to capitalize the overseas higher education opportunities, narrowing down the gender gap in education and other fields and make the people aware about women rights in order to overcome gender based violence incidences. It was echoed at a stakeholder workshop organized under Gender Sensitization, and Women Empowerment in Agriculture Sector Project of Gender Equity Program of Aurat Foundation and USAID at New Senate Hall of the varsity. The workshop was arranged by Department of Rural Sociology, and Institute of Home Sciences. University of Agriculture Faisalabad. Addressing on the occasion, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan called for creating more educational opportunities for rural girls to empower them by creating awareness about their rights in the society. He said that women empowerment was prerequisite to achieve sustainable development and prosperity. He said we cannot make the development without involving the women in socioeconomic activities and bringing them into mainstream. He showed his concerns that the ratio of the girls in the postgraduate degree programs decreases. He said women should be encouraged to come in the higher studies and play their active role in the development of the county. He said that the steps are afoot to alleviate the gender based violence with the help of awareness. He said that UAF was making conscious efforts to promote the education in women as 45 students of UAF were women. He said that the UAF was promoting the women cycling at the campus to facilitate them and to minimize their dependency. Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Prof Dr Iqbal Zafar said that during the last 30 years, we witnessed an enormous change in the societal behavior as today more than 40 percent girls are enrolled in universities and pursuing their goals with the help of their families. He said rural women are playing a pivotal role in the development of agricultural but their role remained unrecognized. He said that the students, academia and researchers should go to the doorsteps of rural women to make their aware of their rights, that would boost their confidence. He said we need to strengthen the rural community councils to address their gender issues. Dean Faculty of Agriculture Prof Dr Amjad Aulak said that HEC as like DAD, USAID, Fulbright Scholarships, should evolve an overseas PhD policy that allows the whole family to more abroad that would help the female scholars to pursue her higher education with full confidence and vigor. He stressed upon the need to enhanced role of government, people and other stakeholder to address the women issue. He said that we have to give the confidence and self reliance to the women to compete with the rest of the world. Institute of Rural Home Economics Chairperson Dr Farah Riaz said in the modern world, the women are standing with shoulder to shoulder to men in the socio-economic activities. She urged the women to prove their mettle in every sphere of life. She said the women need to explore their inbuilt leadership qualities. She said that the parents/ husbands etc should encourage women for higher studies in the country or abroad. Chairman Sociology Prof Dr Ashfaq Maann said that a large number of women are working in the agricultural field. The law safeguards the women against all type of violence. He said that they must be aware to fight the discrimination and violence. Dr Izhar Ahmad Khan said the education was the key of progress and the women must be blessed with knowledge. The different initiatives for women empowerment were being taken on the part of government, media and civil society, he said, adding that the women were facing discrimination which demands stepped-up efforts.