Policy Advocacy and Research to Strengthen Implementation of Pro-Women Legislation and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response Services in Sindh

Status: Completed
Start Date: Jan 2017
End Date: Dec 2019
Geographic Coverage: 4 Districts in Sindh
Focus Area: Gender Based Violence
SDG Goal: 5 Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls
Implementing Partner: SPO
Funding Partner: Australian Government & Australian Aid

SPO is implementing “Policy Advocacy and Research to Strengthen Implementation of Pro-Women Legislation and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response Services in Sindh” project since January 2017 with the support of the Australian High Commission and the Australian Government in Sindh. The project has contributed to the establishment and strengthening of pro-women structures and has improved the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and protection services in Sindh under the pro-women laws enacted by the Government of Sindh in previous years.

During the extension phase major activities were carried out including a two-day Strategic Planning and Capacity-Building Workshops of the Provincial Advocacy Network – Provincial Steering Forum (PSF) to devise a strategy to achieve project milestones. 43 Women Medical Officers, 12 Police officials, 15 Prosecutors and four District Judges were provided orientation on “Standard GBV Guidelines” through one-day workshop held in Karachi and Hyderabad respectively. In this connection, an Illustrative manual/display chart of medico-legal services was designed and distributed among key relevant stakeholders to facilitate GBV survivors in the Medico Legal Examination (MLE) process.

The Sindh Commission on the Status of Women was facilitated to hold consultations with District administration, in-charge officials of Dar-ul-Amans and civil society representatives on the status of safe houses established at District level on the directive of the Sindh High Court. As a result of consultations, the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) drafted and submitted detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for shelter houses to the Social Welfare Department for further deliberations. The Sindh Cabinet approved SOPs along with a grant of Rs. 10 million for the establishment and strengthening of safe houses at District level under the supervision of District administration on 25th February, 2019.

Due to SPO’s continuous and vigilant efforts, the Women Development Department moved a summary to the Chief Minister for the appointment of the Protection Officers and received approval for appointment of four Protection Officers. MPAs generated discourse on the Assembly floor related to progress on implementation of pro-women laws and status of GBV response services and insufficient budgetary allocation and its utilization. A safe house was established in District Malir. The Health Minister, Government of Sindh promised to appoint Women Medico Officers as Women Medico Legal Officers who are to be trained by SPO under the project.

Project interventions reached twelve million beneficiaries directly or indirectly out of which five million were women and seven million men. Twenty-six thousand persons were direct beneficiaries through this project in Sindh. Extensive media campaigns through electronic, print and social media about the issues and challenges in implementation of pro-women laws i.e. Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, Sindh Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2013 and Anti-Women Customary Practices Act, 2011, were launched during the reporting period. Five TV talk shows, seven issue-based articles, FM messages, campaigns in targeted districts of project were conducted.