Women empowerment: Call for ending violence against women resonates at exhibition

International human rights’ defenders’ day observed at Nomad


Our Correspondent November 30, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Amid a plethora of art and crafts, a ceremony was marked to observe the ongoing 16 days of activism against gender violence campaign at the Nomad Art and Cultural Centre.

Stalls of handicrafts made from organic and environment-friendly materials such as cloth, jute, wood and paper lined the garden with a profusion of colour.

The products were a culmination of a women’s economic empowerment and awareness training programme. Participants of the programme included acid survivors, community schoolteachers, street children and internally-displaced persons.

Standing behind their stalls, the participants of varying age-groups, beamed with confidence as they attended lingering guests interested in buying the crafts.

The gallery interior was stylised with artworks, sculptures and graffiti to reflect the campaign’s theme of “Education, Militarism, Corruption, Poverty, Graffiti, Revolution, Justice, Empowerment” which was stenciled throughout the colour-splattered surfaces inside the gallery.

The gallery’s curator, Nageen Hyat, was joined by members of the Australian embassy, Sangeeta Thapa from UN Women, MNA and secretary general of the Women’s Caucus Shaista Parvez Malik and wife of the Australian High Commissioner, Susan Heyward, who lit candles to commemorate the international human rights’ defenders’ day.

“We are focusing on defenders we have lost over the years all over the world, including Pakistan and we want to celebrate ones that are still there and trying to make a difference,” Hyat said.

Nomad gallery and cultural centre, she added, started working on a global level about two decades back and partnered with UN Women some years ago. This year, they have a partnernship with Direct Aid Programme of the Australian government.

While congratulating the team on the women economic empowerment programme, Heyward, said she was proud that the Australian government’s support was actively being utilitsed for the women who are working for social change in their communities.

“I’ve enjoyed looking at the products and I’ve bought some. It was fantastic to see the proud excitement on the faces of the participants, who will take the skills they have adopted here to their communities and benefit from them,” she added.

Thapa commended the art centre’s work to highlight the issue of gender violence. “What I really like is how you’ve used art forms to depict, advocate and address violence against women, which is the worst kind of violence and a scourge on humanity,” she said.

The arts and crafts exhibition which also features artworks by well-known artists will remain open till December 10.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2014.

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