LAHORE: All segments of society should play their role for the welfare and rights of the visually impaired people who have even proved themselves in competitive exams.

`We should also become a light for their successinlifeinstead of thinking that they are blind and not able to play their role in society,` Lahore College for Women University Acting ViceChancellor Dr Uzma Qureshi said while addressing a seminar organised to mark the International White Cane Safety Day here on Thursday.

The day is observed on Oct 15 every year to celebrate the achievements of people who arevisually impaired and the symbol and tool of their independence -the white cane.

`Physically challenged students are great asset and pride of our institution.,` Dr Uzma Qureshi said, adding the management had signed an MoU with international NGOs to work together for designing the LCWU campus on the principle of universal design for barrier-free architecture of all academic and administrative buildings.

She said the Independent Living Centre, LCWU, was taking lead to provide technical assistance to other educational institutions in Pakistan for consultancy regarding barrier free campus designing.

Dr Atteeg Ahmad and Miss Parween of the IndependentLiving Centre described the internationalprotocol and agreements on the rights of Persons with Disability (PWD).

They talked about different environmental hazards and factors that posed risks and causedisability. They also explained that disability resulting from an interaction between a noninclusive society and individuals.

They said the students and staff of educational institutions with mobility related problems and vision impairment become more physically at risk in case of inaccessible buildings, emer-gency and in situations of disasters.

LCWU Student Affairs Director Prof Shireen Asad said: `We should celebrate the White Cane Safety Day as `Day of Light` because it was also a dayfor appreciating the blind people for their services in society.

The students staged a short play to highlight the problems faced by the visually impaired persons. Special students also presented nationalsongs.

International Girl Child Day: The LCWU`s social work department, in collaboration with Advocacy Network -CANPakistan, Alliance Against Child Marriage and ActionAid celebrated International Girl Child Day under the theme `The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030` here on Thursday.

Child Rights Activist Iftikhar Mubarik shared the background of the day with the audience, while facilitating the Policy Dialogue on Issues of Girl Child: Facts, Responsibilities and Opportunities. `It is opportune time to realise the importance of social, economic, and political investment in the power of adolescent girl as fundamental to breaking the inter-generation transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination and to achieving equitable and sustainable development outcomes,` he said.

Parliamentarian Youth CaucusVice-Chairperson MPA Mary Gill said the Punjab government was committed to protecting girls and women against all forms of violence and the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women and the Office of Ombudsman for sexual harassment of women at workplace had their helplines for the purpose.

SPO Punjab Regional Head Mr Salman Abid said social legislation and investment in social sector was not the priority of ruling elite and as a result education, health, child and women rights did not get appropriate attention.

Rashida Qureshi from CAN Pakistan stressed upon investment in high-quality education, skills, training, access to technology and otherlearninginitiatives that could prepare girls for life, jobs, and leadership.