As per history, the first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on Feb 28. The Socialist Party of America designated this day in honour of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions. Celebrated on Mar 8 every year, the International Women’s Day is dedicated to honoring the achievements of women throughout history and all across the globe, celebrating their social, economic, cultural and political achievements. It is typically a day for women from all different backgrounds and cultures to band together to create awareness and pledge for gender parity and women’s rights. On Mar 4, 2020 International Women’s Day theme “Each for Equal” was celebrated amidst a vibrant event at the Sports Ground of Interloop Limited, Plant 1, Faisalabad. It was an event exclusively for female employees who drove in from four Hosiery Plants and Spinning.
This year’s theme was a call to action for gender equality, which is in accordance with the company’s philosophy that acknowledges the contributions and achievements of the robust Interloop women. Interloop takes pride in being an equal opportunity employer by hiring women in all cadres including non-traditional areas and STEM jobs. Guests of Honor at this occasion were Asma Ijaz Cheema; Assistant Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad, Ayesha Khan; differently abled artist and Farzana Zulqarnain; wife of Chairman Interloop Limited. The audience enjoyed the program that included motivational skits, charming dance, exciting games and song competition performed by Interloop women. Inspirational speaker & artist Ayesha Khan from Faisalabad related her moving story of building her own identity with courage against all odds. Despite being born without limbs, she self-taught herself and expressed her emotions and creativity through art, by gripping the pencil between her left shoulder & jaw to sketch, paint or do calligraphy. Khan unveiled her beautiful work at the occasion. She expressed that there were no boundaries restricting expression, talent & creativity.
These assets were beyond the limits of gender and disabilities. Our second Guest of Honour, Asma Ijaz Cheema; a spectacular example of gender equality through her contributions within her challenging professional role, shared her thoughts and said that gender equality was a collective prerogative for all who support human rights. Speaking on the occasion, Rahat Naseem, Deputy Manager Audit Interloop gripped everybody’s attention by sharing her success story. A bubbly personality with decade’s long experience, Rahat faced her worst nightmare when she was diagnosed with moderate Intestinal Cancer. It was a hard time when she was juggling with her personal & professional lives and fighting hard to beat the cancer through numerous chemotherapies. Now fully recovered, Rahat thanked Interloop management for their full support and her colleagues for all the prayers and best wishes in recovering from this deadly disease. In her closing remarks, Farzana Zulqarnain appreciated the stage performances and expressed gratitude to the female employees for their enthusiasm, hard work and devotion to the company. The event proceeded with the awards ceremony and ended with delicious lunch for all in attendance.
