Swat's Tabassum Adnan dedicates Secretary of State award to all women

MINGORA: Returning home after receiving the 2015 Secretary of State International Women of Courage Award, Tabassum Adnan has dedicated her achievement and recognition to every woman in the country.

“This award is not just an honour for me, but for every woman of the country including those who became victims of violence,” she told The Express Tribune after returning from the US. The woman surprised all those around her when she founded the Khwendo Jirga for women—a first of its kind. Through this platform, the women of Swat had a chance to meet on a weekly basis and discuss matters such as honour killings, acid attacks and swara.

Autonomy and agency

“Though I got a barrage of criticism from different sections of society, along with threatening letters, nothing discouraged me and I continued working against the violation of women’s rights in Swat and surrounding areas,” she said.



Her fellow jirga members actively monitor cases of violence against women in Swat and try to immediately reach the site to identify and resolve the matter. “We identified around five cases of swara, some of acid throwing and an incident of a man cutting off his wife’s nose and another in which a woman’s leg was severed by the husband,” she recalled. “We successfully obtained justice for all the victims from court,” Tabassum said, adding her jirga also fought actively against child marriages in the area.

She has managed to create a strong network in the valley and any case of violence against women is reported to her at once. “We also receive information about the trafficking of women and I have started a campaign to monitor and halt such activity with the help of government institutions,” the activist revealed.

She said her jirga resolved minor issues internally, while it hired the services of lawyers to fight in court against serious violations. Touching upon her future undertakings, Tabassum said the award encouraged her to continue with the mission. “It is my goal to work for women’s rights,” she said. “The award encouraged me to continue my mission against the trafficking of women in the name of marriage.”

Tabassum said thousands of women were widowed and as many orphaned during the wave of militancy in Swat. “Widows and orphaned girls are vulnerable and the government has turned a blind eye to their problems. I also intend on raising the issue and working for them,” she vowed.

The activist urged every woman across the globe to raise their voice against injustices suffered by them as their problems cannot be resolved by themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2015.