Press release

HRCP celebrates women’s resilience on National Women’s Day

Lahore, 12 February 2022. In commemorating National Women’s Day, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is proud to have been part of the women’s movement and to have stood shoulder to shoulder with the thousands of women who have defied regressive laws and repressive regimes to claim their rights at work, in the home and in public spaces.

It is a testament to their resilience and spirit that the women’s movement in Pakistan now cuts across ethnicity, faith, age, gender identity, disability, and class. If the incidence and scope of violence against women has increased in recent years—from the brutal murder of Noor Mukaddam in Islamabad to the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing of women in Balochistan—so too has their capacity to see justice done.

It is through the tireless advocacy of women and their allies that women are now better protected—at least in law—against violence, harassment and abuse. Nonetheless, HRCP foresees stiffer battles ahead, to which we believe this new generation of women’s rights defenders is more than equal.

Hina Jilani
Chairperson