ISLAMABAD: Adorned in their traditional clothes and jewellery, Champa and her group from Tharparkar, Sindh were trying to understand what the speakers were saying in the 10th annual conference on International Day of Rural Women on Monday.

Champa, Dai and their groups were among one of the 1,000 women from over 100 districts invited to Islamabad for demanding a greater role for women in decision making in regards to democracy and sustainable development in Pakistan.

The women were brought together by the Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy, a women`s rights organisation as part of its annual conference in connection with the International Day of Rural Women which the United Nations celebrates on Oct 15.

Talking to Dawn, Champa, who has difficulty conveying herself in Urdu as well, said they work in the fields as farmers on daily wages but face a number of problems because of being a women, and also because she is Hindu.

`My husband lost the use of his arms due to an accident and now I have to provide for my family. I do hard work every day and get paid very little for it. I cannot even pay for our meals with what I get paid,` she said.

Champa demanded that the government provide security to minority communities as their landlords throw them out of their mud houses whenever they want.

She appreciated the efforts of various NGOs which train rural women and suggested they be provided with funds for starting small businesses.

A community worker, Razia Naaz fromSialkot, said she finds motivation for working for the betterment of her area from such conferences.

`I am a mother of one child and I started sowing training centres with the help of an NGO,` she said, adding that over 35 women work at her centre now, the majority of whom are victims of domestic violence and still want to financially support the men in their homes. She said these women are not paid enough and that contractors only pay them Rs75 for every dozen of gloves they make.

`They do not have another option and so they have to work for such low wages, she said.

Experts at the dialogue said ruralwomen should be included in decision making at all levels so they can be socially, economically and politically empowered.

They agreed that so far, no comprehensive policy for rural women development has been introduced.

Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Fouzia Vigar said that according to the Election Commission of Pakistan`s list, 56pc of the country`s 97 million registered voters are men and 44pc are women.

She said an estimated 10.1 million women eligible for being registered as voters do not have a CNIC, which is a prerequisiteforbeingregistered as avoter.

She said all stakeholders should playtheir role in facilitating women in obtaining a CNIC and get registered as voters so they can use their right to vote in the upcoming general elections.

They demanded that the government recognise women working in farms or with livestock as agriculture workers.

They called for the development of a rural women manifesto before the next elections and designing an advocacy campaign to include the demands of rural women in party manifestos.

Women from all professions participated in the event including farmers, health workers, teachers, home based workers, lawyers, community workers and leaders.