Lahore: Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) Chairperson Hina Pervaiz Butt on Monday said the Punjab government was committed to deepening cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to further strengthen women protection services across the province.
She expressed these views during a meeting with JICA President Dr. Akihiko Tanaka, who led a high-level Japanese delegation to the Punjab Women Protection Authority.
Welcoming the delegation, Hina Pervaiz Butt said Pakistan and Japan enjoyed a longstanding partnership, adding that JICA’s technical assistance had significantly strengthened the capacity of Women Protection Centres through specialised training, institutional coordination and survivor-centred service delivery.
She highlighted Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision of establishing a more responsive and effective protection system for women, and acknowledged Japan’s continued support in advancing the province’s women protection initiatives.
Dr. Akihiko Tanaka reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to supporting Pakistan, particularly Punjab, in combating gender-based violence through capacity-building, technical cooperation and institutional reforms. He appreciated the progress achieved by the Punjab Women Protection Authority under its ongoing collaboration with JICA.
Punjab Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Mal Secretary Sara Omar said the partnership had yielded encouraging results and stressed the importance of expanding the reach and impact of training programmes to further enhance institutional capacity.
During the visit, PWPA Director General Dr. Lubna Nazir briefed the delegation on the authority’s reforms, key services and achievements under JICA’s technical cooperation programme.
The JICA president also interacted with women who had benefited from PWPA services and commended the authority for providing comprehensive legal, psychosocial, protection and rehabilitation support to survivors of violence.