Women Empowerment Literacy and Development Organization
Gender Equity
Human Rights
Pakistan has been facing one of the worst conditions of human rights violations for quite some time now. Problems like physical and mental torture against women, denial of basic human rights to women and children like education, bodily integrity, education and nutrition, rape, honor killings, inter-sectarian violence and sexual discrimination are widespread all across Pakistan especially in rural and backward areas of Pakistan.
Legal Empowerment
As women in Pakistan have been 'allotted' a very low
socio-economic status due to false cultural and religious beliefs therefore
legal education and provision of legal services is denied to them. To make
matters worse a majority of women are not even partially aware of the meagre
protection that the law provides them. Under several survyes carried out by
WELDO in the major universities and colleges of the nation it was seen that even
students and graduate and post graduate level are unaware of their legal rights
in Pakistan and are unaware of prevalent laws for women in other international
countries. Therefore WELDO has embarked upon several projects for provision of
legal empowerment to women in Pakistan.
Violence Against Women
Nearly 50% population, which consists of women, is daily subjugated to culturally-sanctioned homicidal violence ranging from foeticide, infanticide, acid throwing, honor killing, being buried alive, public flogging, dowry killing, physical & psychological torture and sexual harassment etc. Pakistan has one of the world's worst indicators of women's human rights and the situation is worsening with the passage of time. Initiatives involving mitigation of violence against women occupy WELDO top most priority list and we are carrying out several projects for economic empowerment of women, legal empowerment of women and direct intervention project for mitigating the incidence of violence against women.
Economic
Empowerment of Women
One of the main causes for violence against women and
subjugation of women to a lower socio-economic status is
“manifestation of the unequal power relationship” (Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence Against Women, (DEVAW) preamble para 4). This unequal
power relationship, among other factors, stems from economic autonomy of men and
economic dependency of women. Since women are dependent upon their husbands,
fathers and brothers for their food, shelter and children's support therefore
this economic dependence hampers a woman's decision to leave an abusive
relationship and move out of the house and it amputates a woman literally and
throws her at the mercy of her male family members. The choice of "leaving" for
a woman therefore becomes a stigma of poverty and living in unsafe "safe houses"
set up by the government because she has no source of income. In order to
introduce economic autonomy of women WELDO is carrying out several projects.
More information about these projects can be found under the "Gender
Equity" link.
New Initiatives
WELDO is always open to new ideas for implementation of its developmental initiatives. So if your organization is interested in working with us on any field related to promotion and implementation of human rights that is not mentioned here please talk to us, we would be very interested in exploring new opportunities of collaboration and promotion of human rights across Pakistan.
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