Jawahir Habib: Leading from the front
This woman from Balochistan is working towards making the province a better place.
This woman from Balochistan is working towards making the province a better place. PHOTO: FILE
QUETTA:
Her body language has an air of unmistakable confidence. Dressed in her traditional, hand-embroidered Balochi dress, Dr Jawahir Habib has defied many norms. She is one of the marginalised province’s unsung female heroes who have dared to dream.
Habib, 28, who works as communication development specialist in Unicef’s Balochistan chapter, believes that cultural barriers and a lack of resources are responsible for the lagging behind of women in Balochistan.
“Opportunities for women are rare in Balochistan where the literacy rate is around 20 per cent, comparatively lower than the rest of the country,” says Habib who belongs to the tiny town of Killi Mengal in Naushki, a district that shares border with Afghanistan and is about 130-kilometres from Quetta.
Habib was one of the 55 Pakistani recipients of the 2013 Australia Awards. These awards are an important component of Australia’s investment in education. She came back from Australia after completing her study with a mission to give back to the community.
“It is hard to find any woman in a leadership role as society is still not completely ready to accept the women as a boss issuing directives,” says Habib.
Explaining how the culture barrier affects literacy and in turn women’s empowerment, Habib says that because there are not enough separate schools for girls and boys, parents do not allow their daughters to attend school. “Parents think it will destroy the culture. Schools in Balochistan are far from their towns because human settlements are scattered.”
Habib has a degree in dentistry but she decided to switch to public health since she believes serving in preventive medicine is more useful for the community than curative medicine. She is currently engaged in routine immunisation and maternal health in Balochistan. “Health and education are in a precarious condition in the province. I believe the reason is a lack of access to resources,” says Habib.
“I faced opposition from relatives while going to Karachi to study dentistry at Hamdard University but my father, an engineer, supported me. I even went to Australia which is uncommon for females in Balochistan,” she adds.
For her, working on the polio programme has been a good experience as it provided her an opportunity to learn more about society. She had to go door to door to persuade parents to administer polio drops to their children. “Facing resistance is common. Even male family members do not allow us to talk to their females. They think we are spoiling or corrupting them as part of a conspiracy. It is just because of the lack of education and awareness,” she says, adding that northern areas of the province are more conservative than the rest of the province. “Districts like Naushki, Turbat, Panjgur and Gwadar are more open and accept female education.”
According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), Balochistan has the highest mortality rate where 785 children die per 100,000 live births. Most children die from infection, diarrhoea and pneumonia. Only 29 per cent women are assisted by skilled birth attendants whereas merely 16 per cent children are fully immunised against nine vaccine-preventable diseases. “We may have basic health units but people do not have resources to get to these units as in rural areas the population is scattered and 70 per cent live below the poverty line. We do not have female workers and campaigners to underscore these problems,” says Habib, concerned about the state in Balochistan.
About harassment at office and during field work, Habib says it is a big problem. “I encountered harassment most frequently but I am a straightforward person,” she says, adding that if and when men talked in an inappropriate way and she felt harassed, she just told them that she did not like it.
“People think the right place for women is the kitchen and their job is just bringing up children. Men need to understand and accept women as leaders and masters of their professions,” she says, adding that this change in paradigms will take time.
She points out that there is no female minister in the cabinet of Balochistan government. “Rise in female representation will change the mindset of people. In the beginning, I was criticised for working and studying abroad but over time it was accepted,” she says. “Balochistan is rising and we women are hopeful that we will contribute.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2014.
Her body language has an air of unmistakable confidence. Dressed in her traditional, hand-embroidered Balochi dress, Dr Jawahir Habib has defied many norms. She is one of the marginalised province’s unsung female heroes who have dared to dream.
Habib, 28, who works as communication development specialist in Unicef’s Balochistan chapter, believes that cultural barriers and a lack of resources are responsible for the lagging behind of women in Balochistan.
“Opportunities for women are rare in Balochistan where the literacy rate is around 20 per cent, comparatively lower than the rest of the country,” says Habib who belongs to the tiny town of Killi Mengal in Naushki, a district that shares border with Afghanistan and is about 130-kilometres from Quetta.
Habib was one of the 55 Pakistani recipients of the 2013 Australia Awards. These awards are an important component of Australia’s investment in education. She came back from Australia after completing her study with a mission to give back to the community.
“It is hard to find any woman in a leadership role as society is still not completely ready to accept the women as a boss issuing directives,” says Habib.
Explaining how the culture barrier affects literacy and in turn women’s empowerment, Habib says that because there are not enough separate schools for girls and boys, parents do not allow their daughters to attend school. “Parents think it will destroy the culture. Schools in Balochistan are far from their towns because human settlements are scattered.”
Habib has a degree in dentistry but she decided to switch to public health since she believes serving in preventive medicine is more useful for the community than curative medicine. She is currently engaged in routine immunisation and maternal health in Balochistan. “Health and education are in a precarious condition in the province. I believe the reason is a lack of access to resources,” says Habib.
“I faced opposition from relatives while going to Karachi to study dentistry at Hamdard University but my father, an engineer, supported me. I even went to Australia which is uncommon for females in Balochistan,” she adds.
For her, working on the polio programme has been a good experience as it provided her an opportunity to learn more about society. She had to go door to door to persuade parents to administer polio drops to their children. “Facing resistance is common. Even male family members do not allow us to talk to their females. They think we are spoiling or corrupting them as part of a conspiracy. It is just because of the lack of education and awareness,” she says, adding that northern areas of the province are more conservative than the rest of the province. “Districts like Naushki, Turbat, Panjgur and Gwadar are more open and accept female education.”
According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS), Balochistan has the highest mortality rate where 785 children die per 100,000 live births. Most children die from infection, diarrhoea and pneumonia. Only 29 per cent women are assisted by skilled birth attendants whereas merely 16 per cent children are fully immunised against nine vaccine-preventable diseases. “We may have basic health units but people do not have resources to get to these units as in rural areas the population is scattered and 70 per cent live below the poverty line. We do not have female workers and campaigners to underscore these problems,” says Habib, concerned about the state in Balochistan.
About harassment at office and during field work, Habib says it is a big problem. “I encountered harassment most frequently but I am a straightforward person,” she says, adding that if and when men talked in an inappropriate way and she felt harassed, she just told them that she did not like it.
“People think the right place for women is the kitchen and their job is just bringing up children. Men need to understand and accept women as leaders and masters of their professions,” she says, adding that this change in paradigms will take time.
She points out that there is no female minister in the cabinet of Balochistan government. “Rise in female representation will change the mindset of people. In the beginning, I was criticised for working and studying abroad but over time it was accepted,” she says. “Balochistan is rising and we women are hopeful that we will contribute.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2014.