Tag: women empowerment

  • #NotAllMen trends after 400 men publicly assault a woman

    Hashtag ‘Not All men’ is trending on Twitter, a day after FIR was filed against 400 men for assaulting a woman at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. The hashtag has at least 5,300 tweets, till the time of filling the story. This was the second top trend on Pakistani Twitter after the hashtag #lahoreincident.

    People are calling out those who are using the hashtag #NotAllMen:

    https://twitter.com/iamtbkhayat/status/1427720052187488257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1427720052187488257%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthecurrent.pk%2F%3Fp%3D124957

    People are showing their outrage on social media after a video went viral that shows a woman being sexually assaulted by a large group of men at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore on 14 August, Pakistan’s independence day. The incident has been confirmed after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered.

    Politicians including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident.

  • Women’s Action Forum condemns ‘reprehensible’ attack at Minar-e-Pakistan

    Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has condemned the “reprehensible attack” at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore. The statement of condemnation came a day after FIR was registered against 400 unidentified men for assaulting a woman.

    “This is yet another painful reminder that women and girls are not safe in Pakistan, and that public spaces are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for harassment, violence, and abuse inflicted upon women. We are horrified by the inhumane behaviour the men at Minar-e-Pakistan displayed and that too on Independence day, which reflects the free reign men in this country possess to behave violently without facing any form of accountability,” the press release shared by the forum stated.

    The statement also shed light on the irresponsible reporting of the incident by the local media. “Interviews given by the survivor on digital media has clearly shown how trauma is also being used to create sensationalism and it is important to remember that clips of her being mass groped may continue to haunt her in years to come.”

    The forum called on Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar, IGP Punjab Inam Ghani and DC Mudassir Riaz Malik “for their blatant neglect towards women’s safety in public spaces, and for failing to provide the adequate measures that should have been in place to prevent such a dreadful incident from occurring.”

    WAF is a non-partisan, non-hierarchical and non-funded women’s rights group.

  • Malala expresses her concern over situation of women in Afghanistan, talks to Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry had a telephonic conversation with Pakistani Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai. During the conversation, Malala expressed her concern over the situation of women in Afghanistan as the Taliban took over Kabul on Sunday and said that Pakistan should play its role in women’s education in Afghanistan.

    Malala said that she also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan in this regard.

    Fawad Chaudhry assured Malala that Pakistan will play its role in promoting education in Afghanistan. He also said that Pakistan is providing educational facilities to almost 6,000 Afghan refugee children.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1427159134558883843

    Yesterday, Malala tweeted, “We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates.”

    “Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians,” she added.

  • ‘I don’t know how to live without you’: Noor Mukadam’s sister remembers her ‘Noorah’

    Noor Mukadam’s sister Sara Mukadam has penned down a heartfelt for her sister on the social media site, Instagram, talking about her sister, who was brutally murdered in Islamabad on July 20.

    “Noorah! I miss you so much! I don’t know how to live a life without you. I miss you every breathing moment. We had made so many plans for your birthday this year,” wrote Noor’s sister while sharing a picture of herself with Noor.

    “Noorah! I miss you so much! World is not the same without your Noor. We can never celebrate another birthday, another Eid, or lead normal lives,” she added more.

    Read more- Noor Mukadam Case Timeline

    May Allah bless you with the highest ranks in Jannat ul Firdous and may we all get reunited again as a family in Jannah.”

    “Noor, you will get justice. In Shaa Allah. The world is behind you,” she concluded.

    Noor Mukadam is the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat. She found murdered at a residence in the capital’s upscale Sector F-7/4 and the alleged murderer, Zahir Jaffar was arrested for the murder.

  • German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    German gymnasts wear full-body suits at Olympics to promote freedom of choice

    The German women’s gymnastics team wore full-body suits in qualifications at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday instead of their traditional bikini cut version to encourage all women to wear what makes them feel comfortable and to promote freedom of choice, reports Reuters.

    According to the German Gymnastics Federation, this act is against sexualisation in gymnastics. The aim is to present aesthetically- without feeling uncomfortable, they added in a tweet.

    The International Gymnastics Federation said that attire with full or half sleeves and leg coverings are allowed in the competition, as long as the colour matches the leotard (one-piece garment with no legs).

    Sarah Voss, one team member, first wore the suit while competing for the European championships in April.

    “We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and we show everyone that they can wear whatever they want and look amazing, feel amazing, whether it is in a long leotard or a short one,” she said.

    After this, the entire team decided to participate in the multi-international sports event in red and white unitards and leggings extending to the ankles, in contrast to the costume worn by many other female gymnasts.

    Moreover, their mutual decision earned them praise from fellow competitors in Tokyo.

    Until now women and girls have only covered their legs in international competitions for religious reasons.

  • Women traffic police officers deployed in Karachi

    Karachi Traffic Police has deployed female police officers for the first time in the city. Geo news has reported that four female traffic wardens have been deployed at Sharah-e-Faisal and Clifton areas.

    The deployed female police officers are also trained motorcyclists. The duty of these officers include “monitoring the traffic and spreading awareness among motorcyclists”. They are also expected to assist people with broken cars and call for further assistance if required.

    As per traffic police officials, the female traffic police officers do not have the authority to issue challans or charge people for disobeying traffic regulations.

    A video of the newly deployed female traffic police officers was shared by the Karachi Traffic Police on social media.

  • ‘A man is incomplete without a woman and vice versa’: Mathira reacts to Zara Noor’s statement

    Mathira has expressed her opinion on a recent statement given by Zara Noor Abbas, by leaving a comment under The Current’s Instagram post. In a Q&A session with her followers on Instagram, Zara said that men and women are not equal as women can give birth to a human but men can’t do that.

    The Blind Love actress commented, “A man is incomplete without a woman and a woman is incomplete without a man, both are made different for each other’s betterment, not to compete and take brownie points”.

  • ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape

    ‘The liberal brigade is misrepresenting facts’: PTI MNAs defend PM Khan’s comments on rape

    Female leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday defended Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments on sexual violence and temptation. Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul, Parliamentary Secretary for Law Maleeka Ali Bokhari and MNA Kanwal Shauzab held a press conference and came out in support of PM Khan and called out the “liberal brigade” for misrepresenting facts.

    Gul claimed that the premier was a “symbol of women empowerment”.

    “For the first time in Pakistan, five women ministers are sitting in the federal cabinet. This means that if there is a symbol of women empowerment in Pakistan, it is Prime Minister Imran,” Gul said.

    Gul added, “My culture has given me respect, Islam has taught me modesty. Do not try to distort the things said in the Holy Quran.”

    Bokhari said that she was proud to be a member of parliament under the leadership of “a man who prioritised the protection of women and children”.

    “You can’t distort a question and determine whether or not the premier cares about protecting women and children. You need to see what the government has done,” she said pointing to the establishment of special courts for deciding rape cases and anti-rape crisis cells at hospitals.

    “The Prime Minister has set aside Rs100 million in the budget for implementation of the anti-rape law,” Bokhari added.

    “We are strong women and we have been strengthened by our leader Imran Khan,” Bokhari said.

    “Under PM Imran’s leadership, the two-finger test was abolished,” Bokhari said. “Because we realise the difficulties that women have to face, we ensured that they get their inheritance rights. No other premier has called for such a law,” she said.

    MNA Kanwal Shauzab reiterated that PM Khan had empowered women in true sense.

    Quoting a verse from the Holy Quran, which she said was the essence of the prime minister’s statement, she remarked that those contesting the premier’s statement were actually contesting Allah.

    Shauzab, meanwhile, believes that if you are among those who are “fighting” against the premier’s statement in his HBO interview, then you are “disagreeing with the orders of Allah”.

    She said PM Khan explained the commands of Allah regarding women.

    “We are proud to live in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Shauzab said, adding that our society does not accept obscenity.

    Earlier in the day, another PTI MNA, Aliya Hamza Malik, too, spoke in support of the premier. In an appearance on Geo Pakistan on Tuesday, Malik urged “liberals” to listen to the premier’s statement before critiquing it.

    She said the premier made a comparison between the East and the West when speaking about rape cases.

    PM Khan has made strict laws for abusers, she said, adding that the state is fulfilling its responsibility and it is our job to make strict legislation.

  • Saudi Arabia allows women to live alone without male consent

    Saudi Arabia allows women to live alone without male consent

    Saudi Arabia has announced that Saudi women can now live on their own without the approval of their male guardians.

    Saudi Judicial authorities have revoked Paragraph B under article No. 169 of the “Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts”, reported Gulf News which has been replaced now. It states “An adult woman has the right to choose where to live.”. It is also included, under the law if a woman is imprisoned, she will not be handed over to her guardian after the expiry of her sentence.

    While speaking to a local newspaper, Saudi Attorney Naif Al-Mansi said, “Families can no longer file lawsuits against their daughters who choose to live alone.” Prior to this, under the old  “absenteeism” law, families were able to file a report with the police against the woman in case she disappears or choose to live independently.

    Read More- In a first, Saudi Arabia appoints women security guards at Grand Mosque.

    Under this law, last year, a Saudi woman Mariam Al Otaibi was detained because her family sued her for traveling alone. However, she won a historic ruling after the Saudi court passed a remarkable ruling that she had “the right to choose where to live”.

    This new amendment made after the passing of a law that allowed Saudi Arabia women over the age of 18 to change names on their ID cards without guardian approval. Moreover, in 2017, the Kingdom’s Head of State granted permission to women to drive putting an end to an old traditional practice.

    These developments are actually a part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s Vision 2030, formed five years ago to focus more on public sectors.

  • ‘Eye on idle, ray-ban wearing models’ – Firdous says she supports women empowerment

    ‘Eye on idle, ray-ban wearing models’ – Firdous says she supports women empowerment

    Special Assistant to Punjab’s Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that she is a supporter of women empowerment and has always encouraged women to work. “I being a woman acknowledge the challenges women face in the world,” she said.

    However, while speaking so staunchly on women’s rights, she negated her own stance by saying that she was “also aware of the tactics women pull these days”.

    “I have my eye on the ones that are idle and wear ray-bans and only do modelling,” she told a Lahore News reporter.

    Previously a video of her insulting Assistant Commissioner (AC) Sialkot Sonia Sadaf, went viral on the social media. She was seen shouting at the AC, telling her that Sadaf was getting paid for her work and it was her duty to keep a check on things. She also asked the AC which ‘shameless person’ appointed her.