Young alumni of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) continued to highlight activism on preventing gender-based violence for the 16 Days of Activism Campaign, through media appearances and dialogue with counterparts in Chennai and Kolkata

Pakistani and Indian Alumni Discuss Regional Cooperation on Countering Gender Violence

Fifteen Pakistani and Indian alumni joined a Dec. 5 video conference, hosted by Embassy Islamabad, to discuss regional cooperation strategies for countering gender-based violence.

The conference featured five alumni from Islamabad, six from Chennai, and four from Kolkata, including students, professors, activists, advocates and lawyers.  U.S. gender equality expert Denice Labertew, director of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault and in India on a speaker program, also participated in the conference to offer a U.S. perspective.

The alumni identified media sensationalism and slow-to-respond law enforcement as common challenges between the two countries. They also shared best practices from Indian gender advocacy efforts that can be implemented in Pakistan, and vice versa.  The Indian alumni stressed the need to further raise awareness on what constitutes healthy masculinity, while the Pakistani alumni highlighted the need for more education—starting at the primary level—to promote respect and harmony between the sexes.  All the alumni agreed that more cooperation between the two countries is needed to address this global challenge.

Young Activists Discuss Combating  Gender-Based Violence on KAY2 TV Morning Show

Two alumni of the Global UGrad and SUSI exchange programs, Afza Asif and Rimshah Ali, joined the debate on KAY2’s TV’s morning show Dec. 8.  During the show, the alumni shared their activism efforts on women’s safety in the workplace, and also highlighted the role of family, community and state legislators in combating gender-based violence. Both alumni explained how their U.S. exchange experience helped them build their own activism efforts after their return home to Pakistan.