Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), in collaboration with the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), observed International Women’s Day 2025, marking the UN theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” The event, held at Vision Hall in Faisalabad, brought together women from diverse professions and backgrounds to raise awareness about the challenges faced by marginalized groups and to promote collaborative efforts towards creating more inclusive societies.

During the event, HRFP and TFD under project entitled “Human Rights Documentation, Fact Findings & Advocacy for the Marginalized” highlighted the importance of advancing gender equality and the need to incorporate this principle into all aspects to achieving UN’s 2030 Agenda. The discussion focused on how gender equality is essential for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how it plays a crucial role in building a more inclusive society.

Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), emphasized that gender equality is a fundamental human right. He stated that empowering women is key to fostering thriving economies, increasing productivity, and driving growth. However, he also pointed out that deeply ingrained gender inequalities persist in society. Women often face barriers to decent work, suffer from occupational segregation, and experience significant gender wage gaps. Naveed Walter also highlighted the lack of access to essential services like healthcare and education in many parts of the world, where women are still subjected to violence, discrimination, and are excluded from critical economic, social, and political decision-making.

In addition, Naveed Walter addressed the specific challenges faced by women from minority communities in Pakistan. He noted that women from religious minorities, particularly Christians and Hindus, are disproportionately vulnerable to physical, sexual, psychological, and verbal abuse due to their faith. He also raised concerns about the alarming issue of abductions, forced conversions, and forced marriages of girls from vulnerable communities. Despite numerous cases, there remains a lack of effective policies to prevent these abuses.

A key resource person at the event, along with women speakers; Nusrat Samuel, Naseem Haroon, Rehana Farooq, Sadaf Shadman, Mehak Saleem, Nida Naeem and Minahil Dawood, shared that the violence and discrimination faced by women, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, often go underreported. The root causes of such violations include unsafe workplaces, inadequate governance, religious influence in society, and a flawed justice system. These factors make it difficult for women to assert their rights and seek justice.

Throughout the event, various speakers including Raja Thomas, Ejaz Ghauri, John Victor, James Lal, Manzoor Anthony, Sohail Daniel, Shadman John (Program Coordinator HRFP) and Hamdosh Samuel (Field Coordinator HRFP) emphasized the need for greater economic empowerment of women. They called for increased support for women in leadership roles, decision-making positions, business, healthcare, and STEM fields. They also advocated for involving women in sustainable agriculture and food security initiatives and ensuring that they have access to quality education and training in sports. Furthermore, the importance of fostering women’s creativity and artistic talents was highlighted, along with addressing other areas that support the advancement of women and girls.

At the conclusion of the event, HRFP shared vital information about the REAT Helpline, which provides immediate assistance to victims of human rights violations. Brochures and promotional materials were distributed, encouraging those in need to contact the toll-free helpline at “0800-09494” for support.

Since 2013, HRFP has been running the REAT Helpline in Faisalabad to assist victims of human rights violations, particularly those related to religion and belief. In 2024 alone, the helpline received 1,198 calls, with the majority concerning issues related to religious discrimination and violations including gender-based violence.