This message spreading widely through a campaign. The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign is a global campaign dedicated to ending gender-based violence. It runs each year from November 25th: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10th: Human Rights Day. Coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, the Campaign has seen over 4,100 organizations in 172 countries participate since 1991.

Raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue; Strengthening local work around violence against women; Providing a forum to develop and share strategies; Demonstrating the solidarity of activists around the world; and Calling governments to account, respond, protect, and prevent violence against women.

A very much needed campaign for my country where we really need to aware our women about their rights and a need to change in our society about their abnormal behaviors towards a very important part of their society Women. As we all know its a very slow process but I strongly believe that with continuous efforts we can bring the change... a big positive change.

A newly issued report of Aurat Foundation (AF) a leading women’s rights organization. Says that , “8539 different incidents of violence occurred against women in different parts of Pakistan which shows 6.74 per cent increase in violence against women in 2011 as compared to 2010.”

The report says the number of violence against women remained high in Punjab where 6188 cases of violence against women have been registered, 1316 in Sindh, 694 in Kyber Pakhtunkhowa (KPK) and 193 in Balochistan. “322 women were killed in the name of honour in Punjab, 266 in Sindh, 86 in Balochistan and 30 cases were surfaced  in KPK in 2011” the report added. According to the report the number of reported cases of rape and gang rape are 827 and 734 have been reported in Punjab. for more click here

In Pakistan the total population is 180million, amongst which women make 51% of the whole population. There have been 2nd class citizenship given to women. The laws against domestic violence is not executed at all. In the year 2011 more than 8,000 cases of offenses against women were reported in media. The unreported are still beneath the attention of laws.

At any day, pick a news paper, you will find a report about violence of any kind against women.

What are the forms of violence against women?  

2. Pakistani women denied right to work late.

3.  Suffering in Silence

4.Cost of Women Rights.

Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah said, " “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.” well its a very well self explanatory quote, Jinnah said in 1947, a hot topic for discussion and most needed action of these days around the globe. 

Pakistani women gradually get confidence

 

 The women make more than half the population of the country, but sadly they are not treated well. Struggle from different non governmental organizations and some courageous women of the country to make a change in their lives showing a ray of hope to every female. Domestic violence is one the harsh realities of a Pakistani women. Activists who work for women cause say that many women remain in violent relationships because they believe they must obey their husbands and that divorce is a shame. Majority of the women population has same thoughts because of lack of education. One third of women in Pakistan are uneducated and have very little concept about making their own choices. 

 According to a report of NGO White Ribbon Campaign (WRC) Pakistani women are subject to increasing abuse. Increased cases of violence are being reported each year in Pakistan. According to the report: “sexual harassment at the workplace, abuse, beating, and rape were some of the forms of violence against women.”

 In general, few people have misconception that women empowerment and gender equality is a foreign agenda, people also think that women empowerment will destroy their society set up and women will not obey their husbands or their family,   but its only misconception women all over the world have been facing challenges and gender inequalities since the beginnings of history.

Quran and the Hadith  both also emphasize on the protection of the rights of women, including the rights of education, worship, freedom of opinion, choice of spouse, economic freedom and social role.

 Pakistan government has taken many measures to enhance the participation of women in economic sphere but instead of all this, there is a terrible need to upgrade the status of women in society and it is only possible through giving them protection legally and mentally. She should be given access and control over resources. An effective mechanism should be institutionalized to enable the women in decision making at all levels. Subject of gender studies should be introduced from secondary level in the course curriculum, provision of women friendly infrastructure and environment at workplace, research and documentation on the achievements of women and launching of awareness raising campaigns among citizens on gender and development.

Pakistani women can achieve their goal by joining hands together and motivating each other. Educate women which will ensure awareness of what is happening to women around the world today is an essential step towards improving their situation. It is a surprising fact that women are made to do some of the things simply because of the fact that they are women. No one can change the world by themselves, but many people doing a little can make a real difference in the society.

 

Bigger than any issue, Sexual Harassment of women at workplace is the most common issue around the globe. without any restriction of race, religion, country or society women around the world facing the issue at all levels, either she is working in a office or in a field, the problem is same.

Harassment at work place

What is a sexual harassment? 

According to Wikipedia Sexual harassment is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors In most modern legal contexts sexual harassment is illegal. As defined by EEOC, "It is unlawful to harass a person (an applicant or employee) because of that person’s sex. Although it applies on both women and men but unfortunately in this men's world women suffer in a large number. ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that One in four U.S women has experienced workplace sexual harassment, now come to home sweet home,
In Pakistan harassment at the workplace is, to date, not recognized as a punishable offense, 

don't know how long we should wait to get the recognition like so many other issues. Because of this many women do not get as much support as they should get, in fact a complaint can create even more problems for the woman  being harassed. I know a couple of NGOs who work for the said issue one is Bedari  and the second is Aasha an umbrella group of six NGOs formed in 2001, assisted in drafting a code of conduct for the workplace, which has served as the foundation of the anti-harassment bill. Data on the number of women affected by harassment is hard to come by since there is no law under which cases can be registered.

Ambreen Ajaib who has been working as a  psychologist with Bedari said I see about 50 to 70 women per year. Now the question is why these women need to see a psychologist, the answer is because the sexual harassment of women at workplace effects them and have very serious consequences.

Maheen Usmani, who used to work at Dunya TV, says she faced even more problems after she filed a complaint against the channel's managing director, Yousaf Mirza Baig. "He would call me late at night, stare me down during meetings and eventually he started cutting out TV reports that I had worked on." In what eventually became a famous case, Usmani says she was barred from entering her own office and later heard defamatory rumours about herself. 

There are so many women around us in real life who suffered or still facing the situation, I was also a victim of harassment at work place, and I cannot forget the stress, indirect pressure and unpleasant working conditions, and I could not got any help due to lack of awareness about the issue.

A newly issued report of Aurat Foundation (AF) a leading women’s rights organization. Says that , “8539 different incidents of violence occurred against women in different parts of Pakistan which shows 6.74 per cent increase in violence against women in 2011 as compared to 2010.”

The report says the number of violence against women remained high in Punjab where 6188 cases of violence against women have been registered, 1316 in Sindh, 694 in Kyber Pakhtunkhowa (KPK) and 193 in Balochistan. “322 women were killed in the name of honour in Punjab, 266 in Sindh, 86 in Balochistan and 30 cases were surfaced  in KPK in 2011” the report added. According to the report the number of reported cases of rape and gang rape are 827 and 734 have been reported in Punjab. for more click here

In Pakistan the total population is 180million, amongst which women make 51% of the whole population. There have been 2nd class citizenship given to women. The laws against domestic violence is not executed at all. In the year 2011 more than 8,000 cases of offenses against women were reported in media. The unreported are still beneath the attention of laws.

At any day, pick a news paper, you will find a report about violence of any kind against women.

What are the forms of violence against women?  

2. Pakistani women denied right to work late.

3.  Suffering in Silence

4.Cost of Women Rights.

• This all happens in our society because we live in a society where  men were and are still considered to be the bread-winner.
• Parents pampering the boy child and discriminating the girl child which gives a superiority complex to most typical males in our society.
• Illiteracy and extremism is a big cause.
• Forced marriages are still a form of torture prevalent throughout the country.  

 The United Nations estimates that nearly 70 per cent of women in the world suffer from some form of violence during their lifetime; in Pakistan perhaps the percentage is even higher. for more click here. The bottom line is violence prevails because we allow  it to.

The time has come that we should take a stand and try to stop all kinds of violence against women in our own households and the women who work outside their homes.

Watch this video..... think!!!!
 I hope you will do your part and will rise at least your voice against the Violence. you can register your voice by commenting on this blog.....Speak up!!!!!

From our childhood we are exposed to media.  When we grow older, we pay attention to media for cues on behavior. Often, television is listed as the main source of information for today's youth  . This presents an alarming problem for females. The ways in which they are represented in the media, especially on television, can lead to the continuing oppression of women and the continued belief that they are objects of male satisfaction (this image is especially pervasive in advertising).

There are television shows that are more positive toward women, and there has been progress made. The 1970s especially saw more feminist oriented programming. However, the 1980s saw an immense drop in such shows. Right now it seems that for all the progress made, some images still persist. These images are most often seen in advertising. And these images are some of the most detrimental of all. As people watch media portrayals of women, they develop an idea of how women should be, of what they are. It's not just men that see these images and learn from them; women also interpret the messages as directions on how to behave.

Now media objectify the women in masses as physical objects that can be looked at and acted upon-- and fail to portray women as subjective beings with thoughts, histories, and emotions. Objectification becomes an issue when it is frequent, and when people are commonly presented only as objects and not as subjects as well. When we see an image of a woman who is presented passively, and who demonstrates no other attributes aside from her physical or sexual being, that's objectification. Here are some contemporary examples of women who are commonly (although not always) portrayed as passive objects to be enjoyed exclusively as physical beings:

There is no doubt that Pakistani women are really really talented in all parts of life even in sport fields. Now two young Pakistani females prove it again that they have a lot to show, now the world will see their talent in Asian Championship and the field is very masculine

 " Karate".

Beenish Akbar and Kulsoom will become the first female karate players to represent Pakistan in a continental tournament after they were named in the eight-member squad for the Asian Championship.

Pakistan Karate Federation president Mohammad Jehangir, said, " "These women have a lot of talent and we are here to promote them. We have taken a huge step but I have realistic expectations. They are talented and will benefit from the experience and exposure."

In South Asian Karate Championship held in New Delhi, Kulsum winning two gold, a silver and bronze medal and Beenish Akbar claiming two gold and a bronze medal.  On arrival from New Delhi a member of the Pakistani squad said ; "The female members were ecstatic as well and appreciated the work put in by the coaching staff that yielded the positive result." 

Pakistani people and Pakistani sports officials specially should appreciate them and Pakistani media should bring these two talented female in light, so the others also get inspiration and young girls involve themselves in sports and parents dont stop them to do so.

Around the world whenever any one talk about "women in Pakistan" the very first thought which comes along is violence, discrimination, basic rights' violation, gender subordination etc etc. Although it happens in some extents but there is a brighter side also. 

According to Wikipedia The status of women in Pakistan varies considerably across classes, regions, and the rural/urban divide due to uneven socioeconomic development and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalist social formations on women's lives. The Pakistani women of today enjoy a better status than most Muslim women. However, on an average, the women's situation vis-à-vis men is one of systemic gender subordination although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate the status of women in Pakistani society, Now due to lots of awareness among people the educational opportunities for the Pakistani women increased in the previous years.

Islam has declared equal status for man and woman as well as Pakistan's constitution. But the society we live in greatly violates women rights despite all these violations Pakistani women are successful to elevate their status in Pakistani Society with the help of some enlightened groups, some outgoing individuals and by the government.It happens just because of increase awareness about girl education among people.


Now in Pakistan women are every where e.g.  schools, colleges, universities, offices, factories, hospitals etc. etc. they are students, workers, entrepreneurs, teachers, doctors, nurses, pilots etc. etc. There is no such field where a woman cannot work and Pakistani women prove that they are capable to do any thing  despite all hardships they are facing from the society. These working women seeding a silent revolution in Pakistan.  A silent social revolution taking place with rising number of women joining the workforce and moving up the corporate ladder in Pakistan.

They are doing everything from pumping gasoline and serving burgers at McDonald’s (MCD) to running major corporations. About 22 percent of Pakistani females over the age of 10 now work. Women now hold 78 of the 342 seats in the National Assembly, and in July, Hina Rabbani Khar, 34, became Pakistan’s first female Foreign Minister. “The cultural norms regarding women in the workplace have changed,” says Maheen Rahman, 34, chief executive officer at IGI Funds, which manages some $400 million in assets. Rahman says she plans to keep recruiting more women for her company.

Here are some statistics and data that confirm the growth and promotion of women in Pakistan's labor pool:

1.  A number of women have moved up into the executive positions, among them Unilever Foods CEO    Fariyha Subhani, Engro Fertilizer CFO Naz Khan, Maheen Rahman CEO of IGI Funds and Roshaneh Zafar Founder and CEO of Kashf Foundation.

2.  Women now make up 4.6% of board members of Pakistani companies, a tad lower than the 4.7% average in emerging Asia, but higher than 1% in South Korea, 4.1% in India and Indonesia, and 4.2% in Malaysia, according to a February 2011 report on women in the boardrooms.

3.  Female employment at KFC in Pakistan has risen 125 percent in the past five years, according to a report in the NY Times.

4.  The number of women working at McDonald’s restaurants and the supermarket behemoth Makro has quadrupled since 2006.

 5.   There are now women taxi drivers in Pakistan. Best known among them is Zahida Kazmi described by the BBC as "clearly a respected presence on the streets of Islamabad". 


6.  Several women fly helicopters and fighter jets in the military and commercial airliners in the state-owned and private airlines in Pakistan.



Here's an interesting video titled "Redefining Identity" about Pakistan's young technologists, including women,






Newsweek Pakistan covers a story about 100 remarkable women of Pakistan  " 100 Women who shake Pakistan" click to read. (must read)



If people have questions like,  how is it possible? the only one answer is EDUCATION.  If you agree please leave a comment.

Education in Pakistan is chronically underfunded. And the Taliban continues to strike in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. There are no official figures but estimates suggest more than 800 schools have been destroyed in north-west Pakistan. Only in Swat,  the Taliban destroyed more than 400 of the 1,576 schools and the  Seventy percent of them were girls' schools. We must thankful to some really brave women who knock themself out to rebuild the education system in their area specially for women while the conditions are too hard for them.

Maryam Bibi is one of those brave women, founder of the NGO Khwendo Kor,( which has been working for girls' education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since 1993.) said ; "We talk about equality and women's rights and welfare at the policy level, but what is the strategy, especially for poor girls living in remote areas? We must educate these girls.

Gul-e-Khandana  another courageous woman from Swat, she is a head teacher in Government Primary School Swat is not an ordinary teacher - she stood up to the Taliban and managed to save the school where she had taught for more than 20 years. She still shivers with fear when she recalls the invasion of taliban.
She said; "Above all, girls must be educated," she says. "When one girl is educated, she educates her entire household. The role of women is very important in our society – it is they who can change our way of life for the better."

There are so many like them who still working for the education  and specially for girls because they believe that with education we can change the world, specially an educated girl is the best source to educate a whole family. In the light of these great efforts now we hope that things will be better because Pakistan Rebuilds Its Education Network.

Please feel free to send your suggestions and ideas about the rebuilding or rejuvenating our education system and specially women education.

 

Soon Pakistan's name will change into " Ethiopia". Why?

The word " Ethiopia" derived from the Greek word Aethiop and means “The land of burnt faces.” in the case of Pakistan the cause is not hardship of life,but the increasing number of  women who burnt by throwing ACID on them.

In these days a cheap and easily available, the quickest weapon to destroy a woman's life is ACID in our beloved country Pakistan.

According to a research, in 20 countries at least 1500 people are attacked in this way every year.

 80 %  are women and  between 40 and 70 % of them are under 18 years of age. In Pakistan, people use acid to attack their victims as a form of revenge for refusal of sexual advances, proposals of marriage and demands for dowry.

According to a Rand Corporation commentary, hundreds of women in Pakistan and Afghanistan have been blinded or maimed when acid was thrown on their unveiled faces by male fanatics who considered them improperly dressed.  

Campaigners in Pakistan say cases of acid attacks are increasing in most areas, even though tougher penalties were introduced last year. An Oscar-winning Pakistani documentary has put the crime under the spotlight, but it is estimated that more than 150 women have acid thrown on them every year - usually by husbands or in-laws - and many never get justice. The BBC's Orla Guerin reports.

 ( men ) are sitting in the most respectable place of the country, but I don't forget that these people are representing our common people, and the majority of our common people still not ready to give the right place to the women and don't want to accept the reality that women also have the rights as well as they have.

 http://goo.gl/2tHLP