Tag: Jalila haider

  • Jalila Haider wins Justitia Award in Vienna

    Jalila Haider wins Justitia Award in Vienna

    Advocate Jalila Haider has won the distinguished Justitia Award in Vienna on Friday, September 15.

    The Justitia Awards are presented to women in law in one of three categories: international leaders / lifetime awards; academia; game changers / pioneers / young achievers.

    Jalila Haider is a human rights attorney and a political activist from Quetta and the first female attorney of the local Hazara community.

    She is the founder of We the Humans – Pakistan which works towards the empowerment of local communities in Balochistan by creating opportunities for women and children.

    The advocate also heads the Balochistan chapter of the Lahore based organisation Women In Law ‘Women In Law Initiative Pakistan’. It works for equality of opportunity and connectivity of female lawyers in Pakistan.

    Among many other achievements, Haider was selected as one of ‘News Women Power 50’ list of Pakistan’s most influential and powerful women in 2015.

    In 2014, she was selected as an Atlantic Council Emerging Leaders of Pakistan Fellow.

    She is not the only Pakistani lawyer to have won this prestigious award.

    In 2021, Nida Usman Chaudhary won the Justitia Award, becoming the first Pakistani woman to be granted the honour.

  • US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jalila Haider is being honoured by the United States Department of State with the International Women of Courage Award for the year 2020. Jalila is among the 12 women from across the world who will be receiving the honour.

    According to a statement posted on their official website, the award recognises women around the globe who have “demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment at great personal risk.”

    The department stated that Haider was the “Iron Lady” of Balochistan, who had initiated a non-profit to support local communities by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children.

    The statement further read: “She has fought against violence against women in public spaces. She specializes in defending women’s rights and provides free counseling and legal services to poverty-affected women. The first female attorney of her Hazara community, Haider led a peaceful hunger strike to recognise the right to life for the Hazaras.” 

    Other women on the list include Zarifa Ghafari (Afghanistan), Lucy Kocharyan (Armenia), Shahla Humbatova (Azerbaijan), Ximena Galarza (Bolivia), Claire Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Sayragul Sauytbay (China), Susanna Liew (Malaysia), and Amaya Coppens (Nicaragua).

    Haider is a rights lawyer giving free legal services to women in poverty. In October last year, Haider was named one of the 100 most influential women of 2019 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    Besides being a vocal activist for the rights of women, she is also the founder of We the Humans, a non-profit organisation working with local communities to provide opportunities for vulnerable women.