The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly has set up a baby feeding and day care centre to facilitate women lawmakers, becoming the first legislature in the country to take this step.
The centre was inaugurated on Monday by Speaker Mushtaq Ghani. Women MPAs and officials of UNICEF and health department were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, the speaker said that women MPAs would no longer have to leave their kids at home to participate in the assembly session and committee meetings. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision for empowerment of women was being followed by the provincial government which ensures their full participation in the legislation process.
Lauding the steps, the parliamentarians called for establishment of similar day care centres for female teachers at schools and colleges.
In 2019, Balochistan MPA Mahjabeen Sheran had brought her infant child to the assembly session, but she was asked to leave the hall on grounds that the rules prohibit lawmakers from bring their children to the assembly. A number of MPAs had also objected to her child’s presence and she eventually left the assembly, teary eyed. After the unfortunate episode, the lawmaker had started a campaign to work for inclusive workplaces.
The incident had also led to a debate about the need to establish such centres in the assemblies. Two years later, the Balochistan Assembly has taken the first step by setting up a daycare centre to empower its women lawmakers.
The centre was inaugurated on Monday by Speaker Mushtaq Ghani. Women MPAs and officials of UNICEF and health department were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, the speaker said that women MPAs would no longer have to leave their kids at home to participate in the assembly session and committee meetings. He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision for empowerment of women was being followed by the provincial government which ensures their full participation in the legislation process.
Lauding the steps, the parliamentarians called for establishment of similar day care centres for female teachers at schools and colleges.
In 2019, Balochistan MPA Mahjabeen Sheran had brought her infant child to the assembly session, but she was asked to leave the hall on grounds that the rules prohibit lawmakers from bring their children to the assembly. A number of MPAs had also objected to her child’s presence and she eventually left the assembly, teary eyed. After the unfortunate episode, the lawmaker had started a campaign to work for inclusive workplaces.
The incident had also led to a debate about the need to establish such centres in the assemblies. Two years later, the Balochistan Assembly has taken the first step by setting up a daycare centre to empower its women lawmakers.