Khuda kay liye Bol, Verna
Why aren’t Verna’s critics talking about rape? Six years after the release of Bol, Shoaib Mansoor has brought us Verna, his third film. We can put the three titles of his films together to form a sentence: ‘Khuda kay Liye Bol, Verna’… (For God’s sake, speak, or else). Mansoor is an acclaimed filmmaker who has always been at the cutting edge of his craft. And this time he has produced a...
Every institution failed Amina
At: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE Amina set herself on fire in front of the police station in Muzaffargarh on the 5th of March 2014 because her rapists were released with the help of the police. Her case created a media hype. Despite getting attention from the highest authorities it fell into the routine game playing of the police. Unfortunately, Amina’s parents did not get justice. The court acquitted the culprits on the basis of...
Profile: Dr Fouzia Saeed, Executive Director Lok Virsa
“The Lok Virsa is labelled as one of the breakthroughs in the gloom, some good news from Pakistan,” says Dr Fouzia Saeed, speaking of what she calls the organisation’s recent revival where she has been executive director for over a year now. She took some time out for this interview despite the constant knocks on her office door. “I’ve steered Lok Virsa’s strategy towards objectives that are angled very differently. Previously...
My experience of working with the women’s ministry
At: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE Elitist NGOs, some high-flying consultants and the top brand of development donor agencies still miss the Federal Women’s Ministry. It was so nice to have that small club for women’s issues, mutually beneficial to all players — well, except the women of Pakistan. Long after the Eighteenth Amendment devolved this subject to the provinces, nostalgic sentiments came surging back and small groups continue to lobby with donors...
Struggles of working women
At: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE In the working women’s assembly on December 22 in Islamabad, women domestic workers to women parliamentarians spoke about how they gained confidence to be where they are. The examples of women’s agency in Pakistan are incredible and need to be acknowledged on the National Working Women’s Day. Despite conservatism that still prevails in society, Pakistan’s working women have consistently made space for themselves, whether it is lady health workers...
Wilson Center Appoints 2014-15 Pakistan Scholar
WASHINGTON -- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in collaboration with the Fellowship Fund for Pakistan (FFFP), today announced the appointment of Dr. Fouzia Saeed as the Wilson Center's new Pakistan Scholar. Saeed will spend nine months in residence at the Wilson Center beginning in September 2014, working on a book on Pakistani women and how their successes at the micro-level have the potential to influence national policy and...
Working With Sharks: A Pakistani Activist’s Successful Battle Against Sexual Harassment
Working with Sharks, a compelling account of a leading Pakistani gender activist, Dr. Fouzia Saeed, against sexual harassment at the workplace, was released in the United States on March 8 on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. When a slightly different version of the book was published in Pakistan in 2012, it opened up a serious nationwide public debate about sexual harassment against women at workstations. Prior to the publication...
International Women’s Day: Legislations Passed – The silver lining
At: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE WASHINGTON, DC: Today is a day to highlight issues confronting women, to celebrate our achievements, to identify the gaps and, most of all, stand in solidarity for change. Taking a quick look at the progress made on the implementation of the seven women-related laws passed over the last four years, it seems that the highest marks can be given to the Benazir Income Support Programme Act, the anti-sexual harassment...
Anti-harassment laws for universities
At: THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE The anti-sexual harassment law is applicable to all institutions, government, private, civil society and as the text of the law regarding this clearly states, “to the educational institutions” as well (Section 2 Paragraph 1). A recently proposed amendment in the Senate created an impression that the law is not currently applicable in the educational institutions. This is totally incorrect. I will explain the challenges this law is facing because...