The minister of youth affairs and sports deemed it necessary “to have a fair and humane outlook on women” and said the playing field for them should be level.
Dr. Mahmoud Goudarzi,who was addressing the 7th Meeting of Government Department Women Counselors, said he was glad to see women playing active social roles “despite the limitations,’’ ISNA reported.
‘’A significant number of our athletes are young and youth comprise half the population; these youngsters have their own problems, and if we do not address them, we will face trouble in the future,’’ Goudarzi said referring to the ministry’s double tasks of tending to ‘’sports and the youth.’’
Goudarzi said the issues facing girls “tend to be less than those of boys” but noted this does not mean women should be neglected as in recent times, “it’s becoming clear that the same problems are also targeting women - drug addiction being one such issue,’’ he added. He said the emerging problems among women should be a wake-up call.
The minister also said it would be a mistake to think that youth needs can be addressed by a single institution or sector. Their needs are ‘’intra-organizational’’ and cannot be classified. ‘’Employment and housing are two of the problems.”
He called for different sectors to work alongside one another to prevent social maladies and said some ‘’odd challenges are threatening our youth, hence the need for greater cooperation among institutions.”
Saying that his ministry acts as ‘’coordinator,’’ he pointed out that they familiarize various institutions with their “responsibilities visa-a-vis the young.”
He maintained that the ministry can partially alleviate the problems of the youth and “help create relative joy among individuals and society.”
Split Welcomed
Goudarzi also welcomed the possibility of a division in the ministry between sports and youth affairs saying there have been several meetings with Vice- President Shahindokht Molaverdi to deliberate on the issue and the recommendations have been presented to the government.
He said it was suggested to separate youth affairs from the ministry and “make it a vice-presidential body that can dictate programs to all sectors or to keep it within the ministry’s purview but delegate authority to a deputy.”
Goudarzi added that parliamentarians are also divided on the issue, but they would await the final outcome of the recommendations.
