Women's rights: A need to defend the defenders

Over 80 women rallie­d outsid­e Lahore Press Club to mark the Intern­ationa­l Women Human Rights Defend­ers’ Day.

LAHORE: There were slogans and chanting in front of the Lahore Press Club on Monday when more than 80 women rallied for about an hour to mark the International Women Human Rights Defenders’ Day.

The walk, arranged by Shirkat Gah, a non-governmental organisation working to protect women rights, started from the Press Club. It concluded at a nearby park. Banners and placards carried slogans targeting various types of violence against women. From honour killing to gender driven violence to physical abuse, the participants of the rally made sure no category was ignored.

Khawar Mumtaz from Shirkat Gah said that the security of the human rights activists was always a concern. “We put our physical security at risk to protect other women. The risks tend to increase especially in cases like blasphemy,” she said. “The state should recognise our efforts and the threats involved in our work. They should give all human rights defenders physical protection”, she added.

She told The Express Tribune that Shirkat Gah was planning to arrange film competitions, dramas and other awareness campaigns for this purpose.

The participating NGOs included the South Asian Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK) and the Women Workers Help Line.  Shabnam Shahid from the SAP-PK said, “Some laws regarding women rights need to change. There is a dire need also to change people’s behaviour towards violence against women.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2010.