International Women’s Day: To their courage and resilience

ISLAMABAD:

The irony of being a woman in a combat zone is a cruel one. She has little role in instigating the conflict or directing its course, but more than often becomes its easiest, most vulnerable prey.

The violence perpetrated against women as a weapon of war over the course of the country’s history and its socio-cultural and psychological impact came under discussion at Nomad Gallery on Tuesday. The seminar was held in collaboration with United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

The day was first celebrated in 1911, but March 8 was officially recognised as International Women’s Day by the United Nations in 1975.

At Nomad, the day was observed with brief commentary by guest speakers in front of an informal gathering of around 20 people, mostly UN workers, friends, and members of Women’s Action Forum.

An exhibition of sensitive photographs focusing on the various facets of womanhood also served as a way to mark the occasion.

Ten photographers showcased their work, namely Akifa Saeed, Arif Ali, Azhar Hafeez, Fozia Malik, Hanif Khattak, Nadia K, Naveed Akram, Razak Vance, Shazia Hussain and Umair Ghani.

The different angles they captured were an ode to the courage and intelligence of the Pakistani woman, whether as a poverty stricken girl fending for her family with patience, or a brave activist raising her voice in the face of baton-charging police. One photograph beautifully captured the resilience and spirituality of a mother’s wrinkled face; another showed a hardworking craftswoman busy at work, silently contributing to the national economy.

Director Nomad Nageen Hyat led the proceedings and introduced the guest speakers — Nasreen Azhar, member National Commission on the Status of Women, Dr Saba Gul Khattak, member social sector, Planning Commission of Pakistan, and Alice Shackelford, country programme director UNIFEM.

While addressing the audience, Nasreen Azhar recalled migrating from Simla, India, to Pakistan in 1947 as a ten-year-old child, describing her journey as a horrendous and frightening one during which she saw the weak and vulnerable in the most wretched conditions.

“Conflict brings out the beast in human beings. Often, rape against women is used as a tool for humiliating the enemy,” she said.

Dr Saba Gul Khattak spoke of victims of the 1971 war, particularly women who bore the brunt of shame not only during the war but the years of ignominy after it was over.

Alice Shackelford spoke on opportunities in disasters, citing women in Swat who did not possess identity cards before the conflict in that region.

She emphasised that to develop a peace building strategy, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata, institutional reform was critical. The afternoon ended with a heartfelt rendition of Faiz performed by Schumaila Hussain.

The Women’s Action Forum also released a press statement on the occasion, condemning the assassination of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer and minorities minister Shahbaz Bhatti.

“The intelligence agencies need to explain the negligence as to why their security was not vigilant and ineffective,” the statement said, and reiterated that the people who committed such acts of violence were “the enemies of Islam and the enemies of Pakistan.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2011.