A cab company, Careem, has introduced women drivers in Pakistan. The initiative is laudable considering the background of a deeply moderate Muslim country where only 22% of the workforce is secured by women.
We acknowledge this as a milestone project as the country strictly follows its rules towards women and where gender discrimination exists systematically.
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The Dubai-based start-up, Careem, which is an app-based car-booking service founded in 2012 that operates in 32 cities across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, has hired seven women till date in the country. Currently, it is available in three cities — Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. While the cars are driven by women, they pick up both male and female customers.
“We want to give women the same opportunities and the same chance that men have of leveraging our platform to generate healthy income,” Careem’s Pakistan General Manager Ahmed Usman told Reuters.
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It is a very unusual initiative for a country where domestic abuse, marital violence and economic discrimination make Pakistani women’s lives miserable, a report published this year, states that Pakistan ranks the second-lowest in the South Asian region when it comes to gender parity.
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Almost 500 women are murdered every year in the name of honour killing in Pakistan. In 2015, 1,096 women were killed in the country. The country is also infamous for a high number of rape cases.
Also read: She fights against honour killings in Pakistan: Khalida Brohi
After all, a good initiative could change the perspective we believe in, right? — Well done Careem!!
Feature Image Credit: Techlist
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