Anti-women biases highlighted at moot

Beyond Beauty 2022 was organised on March 8, 2022, by the School of Leadership. The day commenced with the School of Leadership’s team preparing and taking their positions eagerly, anticipating the arrival of 176 female participants for the Beyond Beauty conference.

It was March 8 2022, International Women’s Day, a day pivotal in the movement of women’s rights and is recognised all around the globe. With the feeling of enthusiasm and fervour in the air, the team was geared to conquer the day and leave the participants with a feeling of fulfilment and promise. The venue chosen for this conference was Movenpick Hotel, Karachi.

Once the participants were seated with their team facilitators, Shireen Naqvi, the founder of School of Leadership, took the stage to officially welcome the high spirited 175 women as the day moderator. The conference kicked off with great excitement and zeal, radiating a positive aura creating an environment conducive to learning and growth.

Shireen Naqvi introduced the theme of the day to the participants which was #BreaktheBias. This year’s campaign theme — #Break- theBias — spotlights the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality.

The speakers panel was huge. The speakers and mentors joining BB 2022 were: Rabia Aziz, Birgit Laam, Nisha Rao, Huma Adnan, Sabina Khatri, Dr. Huma Mohsin, Dr Sara Gill, Raeda Latif, Shamsa Khoja, Tehmina Ali, Anny Arsalan, Ayesha Nawab, Sarah Irfan, Misbah Majeed, Saima Imam, Anika Arshad, Sidra Salman, Sharifa Hyderaly, Anum Bukhari, Talea Ghori, Meryem Jabeen and Zunairs.

The conference highlighted all issues and topics that needed our attention and needed to be addressed. At Beyond Beauty, there were sessions on ‘Being A Woman in Pakistan Multidimensional Roles’, and ‘The taboo about The word Feminism’.

There were breakout sessions on different topics, from health and lifestyle to changing norms to how to manage work life balance, this conference addressed all the topics. Partners who made the conference possible were SoL: Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Ghulam Faruque Group, KIA Motors, Marie Stopes Society, HMBL, Nofea, YUNUS textiles, ibex,. Swvl, Jang Group, SoLF, Amwaj, Catalyst, Nucleus, Carving & Upstairs.