Aurat Foundation organized a three-day capacity-building workshop on Transforming Violent Extremism (TVE) for Women Peace Architects (WPAs) on 7-9 June 2023 at Lourdes Hotel, Quetta. Around 35 WPAs of Sindh and Balochistan participated. The key objective of the training was to build the skills of WPAs on TVE/CVE and motivate the WPAs to action for changing behavior after receiving the training workshop at the personal, community, and workplace levels.

Mr. Sajid Pervez, an Expert on Conflict Transformation, Peacebuilding, Women's Peace, and Security conducted the training. The closing ceremony of the workshop was attended by the guests; Ms. Saleha Zakir Shah, Director CVE, NACTA, Ms. Shaina Khan, Media Coordinator to Chief Minister, Quetta, Ms. Fauzia Shah, Chairperson, Balochistan Commission for the Status of Women (BCSW), Prof. Farkhanda Aurangzeb, Member, National Commission for Human Rights, Balochistan, Ms. Jahanara Tabassum, Deputy Secretary, Women Development Department (WDD), Mr. Naeem Mirza, Executive Director, Aurat Foundation, and Mr. Allauddin Khilji, Resident Director Quetta, Aurat Foundation,

In the closing ceremony, Ms. Saleha Zakir Shah, Director Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) said that NACTA has a toll-free helpline 1717 which should be called in case of emergencies such as terrorism, anti-terrorism, or CVE related incidents. She said that NACTA recently invited vice-chancellors (VCs) of all the major public and private universities in order to introduce a peace course to the curriculum of all the universities. She added that in this course, we are proposing to trace the history of Pakistan from ancient history and the Indus Valley civilization (IVC) instead of the usual trend of tracing our history back to M. Bin Qasim's arrival on the Indian subcontinent. She said that there is a need to revive Sufi Islamic thought and NACTA is fully behind this effort.

Ms. Shah said that NACTA is ready to have one-on-one workshops and a memorandum of understanding (MOU) can be done with them in order to engage them in meaningful counter-radicalization activities. She said that NACTA has an active Twitter handle and the organization actively hosts a poster competition to which everyone should apply. She further said that we are ready to engage the youth in peace clubs in their universities since the youth has so much energy.

Ms. Fauzia Shaheen said that she started working and is in this position because of Ms. Nigar Ahmed and Ms. Shehla Zia, the founders of Aurat Foundation. She said that the next generation is aware and will perform better than us and said that after many years, the early child marriage bill has finally received approval from the Balochistan cabinet. She added that this is a big success and all the women who lobbied for its approval deserve special praise. Ms. Shaheen said that in the recent floods, women suffered tremendously and were not given the same medical treatment as their male counterparts due to the rescue staff being untrained to help women. In response to this, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is rolling out a gender matrix for the first time. This matrix will have detailed guidelines on how to deal with women during disasters. She said that there is also a need to have gender cells in the more male-dominated environment departments. She further said that a clause regarding harassment of female journalists has been added to the Balochistan Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.

Ms. Shaina Khan, Media Coordinator to the Chief Minister, Balochistan emphasized that the nucleus of PVE is women and youth. We need to ensure the inclusion of a gender perspective across all our PVE activities and create a local-level mechanism to prevent all forms of violence against women.

Prof. Farkhanda Aurangzeb, Member, National Commission for Human Rights, Balochistan, said that preventing violent extremism is a commitment and obligation under the principles and values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. To be effective and sustainable and in line with Member States’ obligations under international law, all legislation, policies, strategies, NAPs, and practices adopted to prevent violent extremism must be firmly grounded in the respect for human rights.

Ms. Jahanara Tabassum, Deputy Secretary of the Women Development Department (WDD), Balochistan said that with the support of women's rights organizations, we need to devise strategies to engage with community-based organizations and develop and implement a Local Action Plan with the support of local resources.

Mr. Naeem Mirza, Executive Director of Aurat Foundation said that we need to empower our women so that they are able to make decisions that are beneficial for themselves and other women. He said that such training workshops are important in furthering the CVE agenda and are the need of the hour because of the extremist and intolerant society we find ourselves in. Ms. Mumtaz Mughal, the Project Manager, moderated the event.

A three-day training workshop on “Professional Leadership Skills” was organized by Aurat Foundation on 4th – 6th June 2023 in Ziarat, Balochistan. The objectives of the training were to improve the leadership skills and activities of women waging peace, with a focus on ensuring the mental and general health of the women, supporting social networks, and, building women’s capacities in peace-negotiation, leadership and, civic engagement skills, as well as expanding their income-generating opportunities through occupational training to improve socioeconomic status.

The session was conducted by Mumtaz Mughal, Director Programmes, AF, Malka Khan, Senior Programme Officer, Karachi, Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Programme Officer SHE The Peacebuilder, Mr. Saleem Shah, Communication Specialist, AF, Mr. Asim Malik, Director Outreach and Network and Naeem Ahmed Mirza, Executive Director, AF training team covered different topics of leadership skills including leadership, types of leadership, leadership qualities,advocacy, lobbying and networking, alliance building communication, and negotiation skills.

While taking the leadership session, Naeem Ahmed Mirza, Executive Director AF, shared that decades of studies show women leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication, and improve fairness. Despite these benefits, only 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. A dedicated struggle is needed to bring women as peace and political leaders.

Women have their own potential to build peace in their homes, neighborhoods, communities, workplaces, and society at large. Hence, their active participation in the peacebuilding process is essential to ensure sustainable peace. In Pakistani traditional society has not allowed both women and men to equally participate in society in developmental and political issues. Now, there is a need to speak up for each gender. It is important to ensure that both genders are involved in policy making and legislative work.

Malka Khan, Senior Programme Officer, Karachi, conducted the session by exploring the answer to the question; Why women should have an equal share of leadership decision-making? Why women’s participation in the peace negotiation process? Barriers to women’s effective participation in decision making? How WPAs can break these barriers and ensure women’s participation in decision making and peace talks? She divided the participants into groups. After thorough discussions in the groups, each group gave their presentation.

Mr. Waqar Ahmed, Programme Officer SHE the Peacebuilder, conducted the session on is negotiation skills. He defined the “Negotiation Skills” by sharing that negotiation is back-and-forth communication designed to reach agreement while leaving the other side intact and positive. After holding the brainstorming exercise, he will share the key elements of negotiation on power point:

Mr. Saleem Shah, Communication Specialist, AF, conducted the session on communication skills. Recognizing the importance of communication skills to leadership, this session deals with concepts and methods that will help the WPAs harness their skills.

Mr. Asim Malik, Director Outreach and Network The session will start with brainstorming exercise of What is networking? What are the benefits of networking as a group of WPA? He explained that a network provides a structure that allows members to cooperate, color plate share experiences, expertise, and resources, and pull their power together to bring about change. Networking is a means of securing greater national, regional, or international cooperation which can strengthen the impact of activities carried out by community-based organizations. He explained that successful networking helps to:

At the end of the workshop, certificated were given to participants and group photo was also taken.

A Consultative Working Group (CWG) meeting was organized by Aurat Foundation (AF) on 1st June 2023 at the Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel, Lahore.

Objectives of the CWG meeting

The main objectives of the consultative working group (CWG) are given below.

1. to build working relationships among women peace architects and diverse state and non-state actors, and
2. to support critical thinking around women’s inclusion in TVE strategies and policies.

Participants profile

A total of 72 people participated in the CWG meeting in Lahore. There were six (06) Women Peace Architects (WPAs) from Punjab while the staff of Glow Consultant, Aurat Foundation, SFCG, and Officials of USAID Consulate and Embassy also participated.
Apart from the above, current and former Members of Provincial Assembly (MPAs), former inspector general of Punjab Police (IGP), prominent lawyers and members of academia also participated in the CWG.
The representatives of USAID embassy from Islamabad and team of SFCG also participated.

Female	Male	Transgender	Total
38	33	1	72

Proceedings of the CWG meeting

List of Speakers:

3. Sher Ali, Reporter the News International
4. Sumaira Samad, Secretary Women Development Department (WDD), Govt. of Punjab
5. Nabeela Javeed, Secretary, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women
6. Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Principal Jamia Naeemia
7. Moulana M. Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee (Imam Badshahi Masjid)
8. Dr. Bushra Jamil, Superintendent Police, Punjab Police
9. Sarmad Saeed, Former Inspector General of Police (IGP)
10. Ghalib Bandesha, Former Inspector General of Police (IGP)
11. Prof. Dr. M. Nizamuddin, Pro-Rector, Superior University
12. Mian Imran Masood, Vice-Chancellor, University of South Asia
13. Bushra Butt, Ex-MPA, PML-N, Punjab Assembly
14. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf, Member National Commission of Human Rights Punjab

The participants were different walk of life included supreme court, high court bar association, media, civil society, women headed ngos, lawyers, women peace architects, representatives of political parties, ex. Councilors and parliamentarians, acedmia, sports, youth and others.

Recommendations of CWG meeting:

15. Women Development Department and PCSW ensured that women will be included in the peace committees as per the Punjab Fair Representation Act 2014.
16. Police representatives said that they will are willing to get their field staff trained on common ground approach (CGA).
17. Participants also recommended that “Peace” as a subject should be in training curriculum of police training.
18. Gender sensitization and CVE training sessions should be integral part of police and other law enforcement agencies.
19. There is a dire need to build the capacity of CTD department.
20. Members of the academia gave their consent that peacebuilding should be added as a separate chapter in their curriculum. It should be add from primary to high school curriculum.
21. A module on human rights should be sensitively developed without segregating women rights as separate from human rights; and our heroes should not remain limited to men, but female figures should also be included in curriculum.
22. The civil society representatives and WPAs said that women should be included in the decision-making process and should be included in the district peace committees.
23. Promote inclusion of women in the decision-making positions in their respective governments as well as in regional and international organizations.
24. The parliamentarians and former members of provincial assembly’s said that a peace caucus should be formed in the national and provincial assemblies.
25. A training programme should be initiated for parliamentarians on National Action Plan and security policies
26. The Khateeb of Badshahi Mosque gave a recommendation that during the Friday prayer sermon (khutba) there should be a brief section on peacebuilding and the importance of peace building.
27. Community awareness and sensitization programme on peace and tolerance should be needed to initate at community level.
28. A larger awareness programmes should be launched on NPA, provincial laws related to CVE through media and civil society organizations.
29. Implementation of CVE related laws should be on priority and funds should be allocated in this regard.
30. There is no evidence or data to prove that the purpose of the law to control hate speech and misuse of sound system by extremists has been achieved.  There is complete absence of Parliamentary oversight/ report to Assembly and the Provincial Assembly is not being informed on the utility and enforcement of CVE related laws.  There is need to devise a mechanism to monitor the progress of law.
31. We need to have female role models and ambassadors at every level of institutions that we support.
32. There is need to make more Women Peace Architects to accelerate women’s role in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism in society.

Best practices should be highlighted through mass media.

Malik Abdul Wali Kakar, speaking on the occasion, said that killing of women in the name of honor wherever it takes place in Pakistan was a grave injustice and contrary to the teachings of Islam. He pointed out that the advent of Islam had ended the practice of femicide in the Middle East fourteen centuries back and even today the “real teachings” can serve as a deterrent against honor killings. 

There is a rise in the number of honor killings throughout the country due to the weak decisions of the court,” Kakar lamented. He further regretted that lawyers too could not take play a positive role because of the court’s weak decisions. He emphasized that legislation was needed immediately to end the dreaded practice of honor killing in the province. 

The National Dialogue  was organized by the Aurat Foundation and Today’s Women Organization in collaboration with the Quetta Press Club, Balochistan Women Business Association, and Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women. The Governor of Balochistan, Malik Abdul Wali was Chief Guest at the National Dialogue Against Honor Killings held at the Boy Scouts Hostel in Quetta, capital of Balochistan. 

Prominent women who took part in the national dialogue were Ms Raheela Durrani, Former Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, Dr.  Shama Ishaq, Former Member of the Provincial Assembly, Ms. Fauzia Shaheen, Chairperson Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women, Member Prof Farkhanda Aurangzeb Pakistan National Commission of Human Rights, Ms. Sana Durrani. Chairperson, Balochistan Women Business Association (she also coordinates Ending Violence Against Women and Girls), Union of Journalists president Irfan Saeed, Religious Scholar Mufti, senior journalist Manzoor Ahmed Rind and senior lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association Abdullah Khan Kakar, Dr Ayesha Dharejo, Chairperson, Sindh Suhai Organization, Parveen Naz; Chairperson, Raaji Baloch Women Forum and almost 150 participants from Civil Society, Government Officials, Academia, Media participated in the event.

Allaudin Khilji, Resident Director Aurat Foundation, said that the national dialogue in Quetta turned into a brain storming session on how religious, tribal, political and civil society actors can act in tandem in Balochistan to combat and end honor killings once and for all. A woman is killed in the name of honor or becomes a victim of violence and loses her life every second day in Balochistan. He said that according to media reports Naseerabad district ranked first in Balochistan for honor killings while Quetta stood second throughout the province for violence against women.

The participants of the dialogue presented a charter of demand and called for immediate actionable legislation for implementation of the demands in the charter.

The participants heard killing of women take place in the name of honor throughout Pakistan after a woman is accused of having an affair or the so-called black deed— in Balochistan it is called Siah Kari, in Sindh Karo Kari, in Khyber Pashtunkhwa and Pashtun belt of Balochistan Tor Tor and in Punjab it is called Kaala Kaali. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, as many as 15,222 people were killed in the name of honor between 2004 to 2016. Scores of the victims were minor girls. Women have not even been considered as humans in Pakistan for the last 75 years and this might continue unless social attitudes towards women are changed, National Dialogue Against Honor Killings in Balochistan.

The speakers agreed that during the last 75 years since independence from the British womenfolk in Pakistan were not even considered as humans and said the best way for women’s emancipation is education. Balochistan has one of the lowest female literacy and girls schools enrollment rates in the world and one of the highest numbers of child marriages and maternal deaths throughout the world.

Prominent writer and intellectual Behram Baloch, who is son of now deceased Chief Secretary Hakeem Baloch, Sindh Urologist Dr Ali Akbar Naich and ACE reporter on women rights Hazar Khan Baloch were also present. Some participants also mentioned the honor killing of Zaratoon Faqir Muhammad Durra Khan (an aunt of this writer) by her brother more than 80 years ago in Sindh interior. 

18th April 2023 – Senator Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change said that climate action and women are not niche subjects but they are central to our system. She said that Pakistan is at the frontlines of climate change and there should be a climate emergency declared in Pakistan.

According to Senator Sherry Rehman, women are better consumers of nature, they have very little to work with and have very low disposable incomes and it is the women who make the wheels of our agriculture and economy turn. She added that women are responsible for running a household but yet these numbers do not show up in the official data. She made these remarks at a seminar organized in a local hotel by Aurat Foundation and SAP-Pk under the JAZBA programme.

The seminar included representation from all the major political parties as well as participation from the disabled and transgender community. It also included civil society organizations, women political workers, academia and media.

The welcome remarks at the opening of the seminar were given by Mr. Naeem Mirza, Executive Director Aurat Foundation. He welcomed all the participants to the seminar and said that climate change is actually global warming. He hinted towards the current imbroglio between the Supreme Court and the incumbent government and added that the temperature is very high everywhere, including in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Parliament and other places. He said that we should aim to control this temperature and focus our energies on combating climate change.

He said that major contributors towards carbon gas emissions come from two countries, 29% from China and 31% from the USA.

Dr. Aliya Hashmi Khan, retired professor of Economics and former Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University and who also serves as a member of the general body of AF, spoke next. She said that over the years Aurat Foundation’s work has expanded in a number of different directions but it. Climate change is not being taken seriously in the context of gender.  She added what does it mean for the women of Pakistan. She cited the labour force statistics and said that if the total employed women in Pakistan then 68% work in the agriculture sector. Agriculture is not a homogenous sector but it also includes livestock as well. Women are not recognized as agriculture workers in the labour force statistics and they do not receive their due social protection due to this. She said that it is even more important for Pakistan to recognize the women who work in the agriculture sector.

The most important message coming out from today’s deliberation is collecting periodic and updated information and data, especially on women working in agriculture and related activities. Labour force classifies women as an employee but there is no chamber for agricultural self-employed people and there is no women representation to speak about this fact. At the end of her brief talk, she said that we cannot solve the issues of injustice without looking at a holistic picture and this report is very important in this regard since it talks about inter-government partnerships, partnerships with the donor community and also of the movements women are engaged in.

Ms. Simi Kamal, researcher and environmentalist presented the key findings of the research report. Her presentation was titled ‘Women at the Forefront of Climate Action’. She said that this report is more of a think piece and aims to highlight major factors

She said the booklet is divided into five sections and starts from the basic concept of climate change, current global institutional architecture for climate change, the impact of climate change in Pakistan and policy response, and the final section talks about developing the platforms for climate action led by women. She said the time has come for women to take over the task of rebuilding the earth and its resources for a safer climate, equitable living conditions and environmental justice. She further added that global economies are failing to produce economic, environmental and social justice for people and planet Earth and said that the current mantra of ‘build back better’ will never deliver until we challenge the current capitalist and development paradigms of perpetual growth in a finite world.

Ms. Kamal said that moving to a global economy based on zero growth and eventual de-growth seems essential to severely curtail and then end fossil fuel emissions. She said that almost 30 million people have been affected by the recent floods in Pakistan. She said that the way forward includes long-term, medium-term and short-term measures and actions. She said that demonstration of political will by federal & provincial governments should be a priority. In the medium term, we need to make the water ministry and the flood commission more effective, changing the narrative around women and climate change as well as developing an extensive training program on ecosystem-based adaptation.

In the very short term, we need to be able to know globally but act locally. One way to mitigate climate change is by putting women on key committees as well as developing programs for selected climate-vulnerable areas in different geographical zones.

Ambassdor Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairperson Board of Governors SDPI, praised the researcher for producing a very useful booklet on climate change and how to deal with it. He said that the short, medium and long-term measures given in the report are all achievable and he hopes that Pakistan can summon the political will and mobilize the resources in order to achieve this task. He concluded by saying that we are at a crossroads and it is for humankind to decide whether we will be able to save the planet from climate change-related disasters.

Ms. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada, said that we need to create strong partnerships among national and international actors focused on climate change. She said that it is a part of her organization, Club de Madrid’s main aims and objectives.

Luke Myers, Counsellor, Development and Head of Cooperation, Canadian High Commission, Islamabad said that today’s event is important to highlight the challenges Pakistan’s women face in their fight against climate change. He said that it is not a competition that which country is among the worst hit with regards to climate change since we are all facing extreme weather events.

Dr. Shahida Rehmani, MNA PPP and Secretary Women’s Parliamentary Caucus Pakistan, said that this is a very important subject and applauded the efforts of Aurat Foundation in organizing this seminar. She praised the qualities of the minister of climate change and said that Pakistani women are not behind anyone.

Irfan Mufti, Team Lead SAP-PK, said that the visuals and optics of this issue are daunting and that we have reached an incredible level. He said that we need to fight for our right’s share within the international arena and continue our battle against climate change.

Nousheen Khurram, National Programme Manager JAZBA moderated the function.

Aurat Foundation organized a 3-Day orientation workshop for Legal Aid Desk Officers of Sindh on 7 – 9 April 2023 at Hotel Mehran, Karachi where Legal Aid Desk Officers by way of targeted districts of Sindh, representatives of COBs, AF and UNDP participated. The objective of the workshop was to bolster the knowledge and skills of legal aid desk officers on issues affecting KPs, PLHIV, and people at risk of HIV.

The workshop was designed for capacity building and to enhance the apprehension of Legal Aid Desk Officers on the issues of KPs, PLHIV, or at risk of HIV moreover to provide them with details on the project, deliverables, legal framework, and resource channels accessible at the district and provincial levels. Additionally, they received training on work procedures, implementation strategies, and handling PLHIV or HIV-at-risk cases with dignity, esteem, and confidentiality.

To pique participants’ interest, various approaches were implemented. There were structured group activities, interactive sessions, plenary debates, and brainstorming sessions. During the workshop, aside from reading materials provided to the participants, PowerPoint slides and multimedia were also used as teaching aids. The attendees avidly engaged in the discussions and added to the proceedings with their extensive field knowledge.

Ms. Shamaila Tanvir, Project Manager provided the project introduction while Ms. Mahnaz Rahman, Resident Director gave presentation on Sex vs. Gender, and concepts of GBV. Ms. Irum Khan, UNDP Islamabad and Dr. Rabnawaz from UNDP Karachi hold the sessions on stigma and discrimination linked with PLHIV & KPs, and basic information on HIV.

An opportunity was also made available for COBs to join and communicate with the Legal Aid Desk Officers during the second portion of the first day in order to further coordinate and carry out activities.

Sessions were held on the second day of the workshop on 'Social Inclusion in the Context of KPs', 'Overview of Constitutional, National and Provincial Legal and Policy Frameworks for the Protection of Human Rights of PLHIV or at Risk of HIV', and 'Mapping Exercise of Referral Mechanisms for Protection of KPs PLHIV or at Risk of HIV'.

Ms. Kalepna Dev Advocate, Additional Attorney General provided a brief presentation on the legal framework available for the protection of KPs, PLHIV, or at risk of HIV.

The legal aid desk officers drafted their action plans on the third day of the course and presented them at the conclusion of the session. Work methods and implementation plans were carefully examined and decided upon.

Ms. Shamaila Tanvir, Project Manager, Aurat Foundation, Islamabad, moderated and facilitated the workshop. Ms. Malka Khan, Regional Manager, Karachi gave closing remarks and expressed gratitude at the conclusion of the workshop.

3-Day orientation workshop for Legal Aid Desk Officers of Punjab was held on 22nd – 24th March, 2023 at Maisonette Hotels & Resorts, Lahore where Legal Aid Desk Officers from focused districts of Punjab, representatives of COBs, UNDP and AF participated. 

Mr. Sher Ali, Khalti, reporter of “The News” group of Pakistan moderated the session by asking the questions “what are the TVE issues at home, community, provincial level and what are causes. The event was organized on 22nd March 2023 at Lincoln Corner, Arfa Karim Tower, Lahore.

He said that there is need to implementation on laws especially implementation on national plan of action. There is need to break the glass ceiling and increase the percentage of women for senior roles or positions at workplaces. By engaging men and boys constructively within the communities as advocates for gender equality. Ms. Mumtaz Mughal Said that social-cultural humiliated practices against women are existed in our society. There is need to promote policies that support the rights of girls, women and other marginalized groups.

WPAs of Punjab gave the recommendation including; a fully functional women’s protection system should be present in all major districts of South Punjab alongside a well-functioning oversight mechanism. Special attention needs to be paid to the situation of women from non-Muslim communities, since they become victims of double discrimination. Use gender-synchronized approaches that engage men and women in transforming norms, balancing norms and balancing the power within families.

Aurat Foundation organized a three-day training workshop on "Transforming Violent Extremism for Women Peace" Architects of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab on 19-21 March 2022 at Masonite Hotel, Lahore. Through the training, WAPs improved individuals' attitudes and practices on identity and understanding of conflict and violence, increased sensitization about the impact of violence, sensitized about women's role in peacebuilding and women's inclusion in public spheres and developed their action plans

In the closing ceremony of three-day workshop, Dr. Raana Malik, Chairperson Gender Studies Department of the University of Punjab addressed as a Chief Guest. She said that when we talk about inclusiveness it means the inclusion of all types and kinds of gender. She further said that women are an important part of the peace-making process. But even when women are included in these processes they don’t have any say or any right to decision-making. She said that just the inclusion of women in the system is not important but the role of these women and their participation is equally important.

Dr. Malik said that more capacity-building workshops like these should be conducted. She added that there are two types of inclusion, one is of the women who come on reserved seats, they have no decision-making or no right to speak and no one takes them seriously but on the other hand, there are women who contest, and get a position on merit. They are respected and asked for discussions. We need to make the women aware and empower them to contest for general seats.

Mr. Naeem Mirza, Executive Director of Aurat Foundation said that we need to empower our women so that they are able to make decisions that are beneficial for themselves and other women. He said that such training workshops are important in furthering the CVE agenda and there is a need of the hour because of the extremist and intolerant society we find ourselves in. He also thanked Dr. Raana Malik and the gathered participants and said that we will continue to make efforts to empower the women of this country.

Ms. Mumtaz Mughal said that the training will increase the coordination and collaboration among women peace architects, government and civil society stakeholders, and cultural influencers in responding to violent extremism and conflict.

Ms. Mahnaz Rahman, Resident Director AF Sindh, and member of mediator group formed by civil society to dialogue with political parties conducted a study circle of WPAs of Sindh on 9th March 2023 at Lincoln Corner of Pakistan American Culture Center, Karachi. In circle, participants identify the key issues of gender, politics and peace in their communities and province with the potentiality for violent conflict. They said that there are many issues related to gender including; discriminatory education system and curriculum, harassment at public and workplaces, lack of implementation of pro-women laws, lack of women's participation in decision-making at home, in public places, and politics, increased in the ratio of VAWG, Restriction on women's and girls' mobility regarding safety and protection and there is weak rehabilitation and protection mechanism.

WPAs devises a number of recommendations to improve the inclusion of women in peacebuilding processes at provincial and national decision-makers. There is need to ensure the participation of WPA's in interfaith harmony meetings. There is need to arrange a sensitization session for justice provider institutions for free and fair justice for all.
She said that there is need to ensure the inclusion of women in the peace committees by ensuring the representation of all ethnic and religious groups. Government should create economic empowerment initiatives for the rehabilitation of terrorist attack survivors.