As the BBC’s 100 Women list is out, Pakistan can’t help be proud of three strong women representing the country on a global scale.
Despite Malala Yousafzai being on the BBC’s 100 Women list such as Malala Yousafzai, the other two women on the list are no less intimidating. The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is an obvious candidate. However, how much do you know about Abia Akram and Laila Haidari?
The list included women from all across the world based on their efforts in activism. Several women from all over the world were placed on the list in the following categories: Culture and Education, Entertainment and Sport, Politics and Activism along with Science and Health.
So what have our three Pakistani activists done? Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. Abia Akram is a disability leader. While Laila Haidari is the founder of her own initiative ‘ ‘Mother Camp’.
About Abia Akram:
This young woman has been an activist for the disability movement since 1997 when she started the Special Talent Exchange Program (Step). She’s even spearheaded change in the UN 2030 Agenda to be inclusive of differently-abled individuals.
“She is the first woman from Pakistan to be nominated co-ordinator for the Commonwealth Young Disabled People’s Forum. Akram is the founder of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities and has campaigned for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Inclusive Development, … She is also working to include disability in the UN 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals.”
About Laila Haidari
This Pakistani woman is the founder of Mother Camp, Kabul’s drug rehabilitation center. With this initiative, Laila Haidari has helped some 6,400 Afghans since 2010. She grew up as a refugee herself and is now a source of pride for Pakistan.
“She established the camp using her own savings and financed it by opening a restaurant, run by recovering addicts, which had to close after the fall of Kabul, … She features in the acclaimed documentary Laila at the Bridge (2018), about her struggles to keep her centre open despite threats and opposition.”
Not only did she grow up as a refugee in Pakistan, but she is also a former child bride and passionate about women’s rights.
“Haidari’s family is originally from Bamyan but she was born a refugee in Pakistan. A former child bride, married at 12, she is a vocal advocate of women’s rights.”
How do you feel about these women and their contributions to Pakistan? Let us know in the comments below.
