Profcon calls for end to discrimination against women in professional education

The 30th Global Professional Students Conference (Profcon), being held at the Ahalia Campus in Kanjikode near here since Friday, has raised concerns over the discrimination and safety threats faced by female students during internships and fieldwork.

An exclusive women’s session held on Saturday called for an end to such discrimination. Organised by the Wisdom Islamic Students Organisation, the conference said complaints from female students undertaking fieldwork as part of professional courses such as civil engineering about the lack of safe accommodation should be taken seriously.

The conference urged students to challenge anti-women attitudes and narratives and to recognise attempts to foster feelings of inferiority through patriarchal notions of beauty.

It also called for vigilance against efforts to commercialise women’s identities and urged students to challenge campaigns and ideologies that undermine their freedom in matters of dress, customs and beliefs.