Women’s Voice and Leadership – Pakistan

Development Project

Women’s Voice and Leadership – Pakistan

Strengthening the leadership of local women's rights organizations to stop the human rights violations of women and girls in Pakistan

The Situation

In Pakistan, women and girls are among the most at risk of having their human rights violated, and those who are also members of other marginalized groups face further discrimination.

Pakistan's constitution calls for equality, rights and protection for all. Despite this, human rights violations are an ongoing concern.

The country's women's rights movement has deteriorated to critical levels, with women's rights organizations and movements facing shrinking spaces in which to organize. Many organizations suffer from a lack of capacity, resources and autonomy to drive their own change agendas. There is also a lack of platforms for collaboration and collective action for women's rights organizations.

Using a strategic combination of funding and capacity strengthening, Oxfam is working to support women’s rights organizations to be better managed and more self-sustaining. This will ensure they can deliver programming that better meets the needs of the women and girls they serve.

The project will also improve the ability of women’s rights organizations and activists to work together more effectively toward gender-transformative policies.

DETAILS

LOCATION
Pakistan

DURATION
5 years (2019-2024)

The Women's Voice and Leadership Program is a worldwide initiative by Global Affairs Canada to support local and regional women's organizations and movements seeking to empower women and girls, advance the protection of women's and girls' rights and achieve gender equality.

OUR SUPPORTERS
This project is undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada, provided through Global Affairs Canada, and the generous Canadian public.

New logo from government of Canada that reads, in partnership with Canada.

Issues at a Glance

What realities do women and girls face in Pakistan?

148th
Gender parity in Pakistan is the second lowest in the world, ranking 148th out of the 149 countries that were ranked.
21%
The percentage of girls in Pakistan who marry before the age of 18.
152ND
A recent analysis of the state of human development ranks Pakistan 152 out of 189 countries.

What are we doing?

SUPPORT

Providing core funding, capacity strengthening and further developing women’s leadership, including through intergenerational mentoring.

PROGRAMMING

Supporting women's rights organizations to deliver programming and campaigns that better meet the needs of the women and girls they serve.

NETWORK BUILDING

Supporting women's rights organizations, coalitions and activists to effect gender-transformative policy change.

What do we hope to achieve?

Oxfam is working alongside women’s rights organizations to strengthen the leadership of women and women's rights organizations in Pakistan, to increase the relevance of women’s rights programming and advocacy work and to strengthen women’s rights networks and alliances. Together, these efforts will address human rights violations against women and girls and advance gender equality in Pakistan.

Help women and girls in Pakistan fight for their human rights.

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