RAWALPINDI 2 A seminar on the issue of gender and migration was held at Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) on Friday.
The seminar was organised by the Department of Gender Studies in collaboration with Migration Research Group (MRG). Lecturer Department of Gender Studies Ms Warda Zakir welcomed the audience and thanked the guests Dr Sabiha Syed, Director MRG, Dr Nosheen Mehmood, Co-Director MRG and Ms Ayesha Sheraz, Senior Research Fellow of MRG for gracing the occasion with their presence. FJWU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Samina Amin Qadir also attended the seminar.
While addressing the audience, Dr Sabiha said migration is an old phenomenon and during the last decade the women migration has been on the rise but unfortunately very little research work in this particular field has been done so far.
She briefly explained the objectives and parameters under which migration research group was working. She was of the view: “We need to create awareness at grassroots level, build close ways to national and international organisations and to organise meetings and dialogues to address this issue.
After Dr Nosheen Mehmood discussed various reasons for women to migrate, most important (as it is for men) being the economic. She said that it could be observed that gender was not the primary focus of attention. In fact, the literature on migration has revealed that both migration and research on migration have been gendered processes.
Ayesha Sheraz said that in the year 2000, the United Nations Population Division estimated that 49 per cent of all international migrants were women or girls, despite the common misconception that men were the migrants. In the end Dr Rukhsana Hassan, Incharge Gender Studies Department delivered the lecture on the topic Gender and Transnational migration to the student.
In her address, FJWU VC Prof Dr Samina Amin Qadir said that one needed to think positive and to be proactive. She hoped that memorandum of understanding will be signed with Migration Research Group. The seminar was followed by interactive question answer session. The participants raised question related to gender and migration of the women.