Words of change: Clearing the coast for the women of Balochistan
Dressed in a colourful embroidered Balochi dress, 19-year-old Mariyam Suleman is a reflection of the deep blue sea that meets the shore of her hometown of Gwadar. Unassuming yet dynamic, the teenage social activist is making waves by creating awareness about the rights of women.
A college student and blogger, Mariyam is teaching women English in rural areas of Gwadar in order to give them an equal shot at opportunities. Doing what she does, that too in Balochistan–where proper education is a dream, takes unmatched resolve. And Mariyam’s determination, like the waters that besieges her land, is unwavering.
Mariyam started her endeavour after completing her undergraduate education from America. She recently conducted a workshop with the help of a non-profit organisation in Gwadar where over 30 college-going girls discussed women’s rights and swapped stories of influential Baloch women who changed society as they know it.
“I have not done a big thing, but I feel happy to do something for our society, specifically for the women in Balochistan who are denied access to education, not only because of cultural barriers, but also due to lack of resources,” Mairyam tells The Express Tribune.
She has also organised workshops focusing on tech camps in colleges, training of trainers, women’s day, cultural heritage and international day for girls’ rights.
“I organised a few workshops for college girls in Gwadar and have also been teaching English language along with maintaining my personal blog,” she says in a nonchalant manner that would have you think she is among many doing the same in her area. In fact, Mariyam is one of the first teenage girls to regularly write blogs about education and women issues in the province.
Elaborating on lack of opportunities, Mariyam says cultural barriers are a major issue. “They (girls) are married at a very young age. Sometimes they are forced to stay home rather than encouraged to compete with men out in the world. This is why, at times, they stop dreaming.”
Avenues for girls to pursue an education in Gwadar are extremely limited, even with the attention the coastal city has attracted in the past one decade. “Girls often bury their dreams because of lack of opportunities and cultural barriers.”
Yet, the women of Balochistan are aware of their rights. Mairyam said girls at several workshops have voiced one concern repeatedly: ‘Men should be taught about women’s rights, not women.’
Mariyam’s blogs can be viewed here.
You can read other stories from this series here.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2014.
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Maryam Suleiman comes as a pleasant surprise from a country, which has seen a lot of blood and turmoil in recent years.Such spirited and souls are surely the need of the hour, for a nation, whose wounded soul, needs a lot of solace, comfort and reassurance, from the systematic savaging, the country has received in local and international media quarters.
Thank you so much for this great article. I have had the pleasure of knowing Maryam's work through her informed writings. She is courageous and dictated. Her work for her community is laudable. She is a role model for the girls of Balochistan and, for the rest of the country, she is a symbol of ambitious girls in Balochistan.
Mariyam Suleman is a very active, brave and creative young girl. I have been reading her blogs, she is a very good writer and communicator as well. I really appreciate her for her contribution in nation building and creation of a violence free, gender balanced educated society in Balochistan. We need to find out such brilliant and creative youth, promote them and support them.
Thanks Shedzad Baloch for sharing her activities and contribution.
Gul Khan Naseer Baloch