Agent of change

Population First is a communication and advocacy initiative based in India. Their key objectives are ‘to help eliminate the falling sex ratio in India’s population, sensitize the youth and media to gender issues and improve the quality of health and standard of life of India’s rural population with a special focus on women and youth’. Their Laadli advocacy initiatives focus on influencing the media, advertising and the youth, aiming to make them ‘redefine their values, gender perceptions and equations through innovative interventions’.

For the first time, this year the Ladli Award was given across the South Asian region, and Lubna Jerar Naqvi, who started her career as a journalist with Us magazine has bagged the Ladli Award. She looks back at her journey for Us...

Proud moment for #CEJ as our alumnus @raiseqalam receives the South Asia @Laadli_PF #media #awards for #gender sensitivity 2015-16. pic.twitter.com/f2D7kcW8sw

— CEJ (@CEJatIBA) May 16, 2017

Being a woman who is a journalist, especially one who has been educated in law, I think I have been quite sensitive to crimes against women and children. From the beginning of my career as a journalist I wrote on women - and children - issues and crimes committed against them.

Coming from a background where women mostly spoke their mind and had strong opinions, with a sprinkling of strict restrictions and gagging tactics enforced mainly by the women of the family, it was only natural for me to think about the problem and why it happened; and more importantly, how it could be solved. How could we give support and strength to resolve the issues themselves and if it really made a difference by actually talking about a topic, so people knew what was really happening.

As a journalist and a young working woman, I saw women related issues from a different angle and realized I could highlight these issues and give people some awareness in a small way.

I began writing on women and children for The News - for all the sections of the newspaper - with a passion that seemed to shock some of my colleagues. One colleague gave me the title of being an ‘activist journalist’. And I realized I couldn’t write without being emotional - maybe a bad trait for a journalist, but this is the way I am wired.

In the beginning I worked for Us magazine - the magazine for the youth - and our team worked on many issues including the issue of sexual harassment against children and youth. We began working with an NGO - Rozan - and we collaborated with them on their programme, Aagan. We brought out a couple of pages where our contributors would send in their problems and the professionals at Rozan would counsel them via Us or directly - as the case needed. Although the magazine is for the young people, many older people also wrote about their problems. This helped to reinforce my commitment to keep writing on such important issues that are swept under the carpet for various reasons. And I believe that journalists can do this through their work.

Over the years I have talked to people, even women, who think that women rights are over-rated and are always in focus. They add that men have rights, too, that are usurped but no one ever talks about them. Some of them have pointed out that men can also be victims of sexual assault, torture, physical assault, and they are probably right. This is why I have always maintained that women rights are part of human rights - not outside that realm - but the thing is that women face a lot of serious issues that are mainly overlooked and ignored - even by women themselves.

I have always been vocal about the fact that in this man’s world the role of a woman is the most important and probably the pivot around which our society revolves. Therefore, crimes against women affect many people related to the victims - their parents, siblings, spouses and children - and even extended family. 

According to Amnesty International’s annual report 2016-17, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has recorded almost 3,000 cases of violence - including murder, rape and gang rape, sodomy, domestic violence and kidnappings - against women and girls. Unfortunately, perpetrators almost always get away, and this should not happen. 

In the two decades that I have worked as a journalist I have worked in print, broadcast and social media and written on many issues but the major part of my work has been on women issues. Some people I have come across

Some people - and I believe they are misogynists - say that articles written in English will not reach the women we want to educate to speak up for their rights. Others believe that there is no use telling people that they have rights. I guess they have a point but we can’t stop speaking up because we think that the status quo cannot be changed; we need to keep working on it. We cannot change things without making a concerted effort and even a small act is vital.

Even though I do believe that writing on women and children issues is very important, I never thought that I would be getting an award for my work. It came as a surprise when I was asked to send in some links of my articles on women issues. I sent them, without asking any questions.

A week later I was told that I had been selected by Population First - an NGO - for the first South-Asia Laadli Media and Advertising Award 2015-16 for Gender Sensitivity. For the first time this award was being given across the South Asian region and it was overwhelming to be selected for this award, but even more so for being the first Pakistani journalist to receive this award.

It is humbling for me as a journalist to be regarded worthy of this award but at the same time I feel very proud to be selected as a Pakistani journalist and have my name linked with my country on an international forum.

 

P.S. And for all my friends and family you can now call me “Laadli” officially.