The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) convened its 71st board meeting in Islamabad as the second board session of 2025 under the provincial women’s empowerment policy, held in partnership with UNFPA at a private hotel.
Chairperson Dr. Samira Shams presided over the meeting attended by commission members including Suraiya Bibi (Deputy Speaker, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly), Rehana Ismail (MPA), Taiba Batool, Muslim Taj, Humaira Nawaz, Shukriya Syed, Dr. Manhas Majid, Amna Parvez, Komal Younus, Shabeena Ayaz, Tahira Kaleem, Secretary Shazia Atta and Syeda Nadrat from the Social Welfare Department, alongside representatives from UNFPA and other Women Commission officials.
Dr. Samira Shams emphasized that digital harassment, blackmail and hate speech are major obstacles to women’s online participation and underlined that creating a safe, empowered and equal digital environment is a shared responsibility. She noted that the meeting not only identified digital risks but also paved the way for policy-level actions so that every woman and girl can raise her voice online without fear.
Participants agreed to accelerate work on new recommendations to remove digital barriers and to strengthen the policy framework for women’s protection, rights and digital security. With UNFPA cooperation, the commission will expand digital empowerment programmes for women and ensure the commission’s 2025 priorities are clearly defined and effectively implemented. The meeting also decided to constitute an executive committee, a technical committee on the women empowerment policy, a child marriage legislative committee and a technical committee on women’s inheritance and property rights to steer policy implementation and institutional improvements.
These committees will play a key role in translating policy into practice, improving institutional capacity and addressing barriers to digital inclusion. The KPCSW signalled that strengthening digital safety remains central to its agenda as it moves to operationalize the recommendations and mobilize partners for wider outreach and impact.
