خواتين محاذ عمل | |
| Formation | September، 1981Karachi |
|---|---|
| Type | Women's organization |
| Focus | Protecting women's rights, Advocacy, Media attention, direct-appeal campaigns, lobbying |
| Location | |
| Website | www |
Women's Action Forum (WAF) is awomen's rights organization inPakistan.[1][2]
Women's Action Forum (WAF) was established inKarachi in September, 1981[3] by a group of 15[4] women named Farida Sher, Samina Rehman,Najma Sadeque (1943- 2015) (Founder ofShirkat Gah), Rukhsana Rashid,Ghazala Rahman Rafiq,[5]Farida Shaheed (head of NGO named Shirkat Gah), Fareeha Zafar,Aban Marker Kabraji,Zohra Yusuf (member Shirkat Gah),Nighat Said Khan (founder of Applied Socio-Economic Resource Center-ASR),[6] Humaira Rehman, Sultanat Bokhari,Khawar Mumtaz,[7]Hilda Saeed (member Shirkat Gah),Lala Rukh (1948 – 2017),[8][9]Nigar Ahmed (1945 – 2017) and Nasreen Azhar,[10][11] some of whom were associated withLahore Grammar School,National College of Arts and NGOs like Simorgh, Society for Advancement of Education (SAHE) andAurat Foundation.[12] Other organisations which endorsed the charter of WAF includedDemocratic Women's Association,Tehrik-e-Niswan,Shirkat Gah,Pakistan Women Lawyers' Association,All Pakistan Women's Association and later onSindhiani Tahreek.[1]
The WAF was formed to respond to the implementation of theHudood Ordinance penal code and to strengthen women's position in society generally. Women from civil society organizations in Karachi became the founding members of the WAF which has later been joined by chapters from Lahore (Punjab) and Islamabad (Capital of Pakistan) soon within a period of one year.[13] InKarachi,Lahore,Islamabad,Hyderabad,Peshawar andQuetta the group agreed on collective leadership and formulated policy statements and engaged in political action to safeguard women's legal position.[14]
Nigar Ahmed (1945 – 2017) started the Islamabad and Lahore chapters in 1982.[5]Amar Sindhu along withArfana Mallah started chapter of Women's Action Forum (WAF) inHyderabad in 2008.[15] Since then they are actively working with WAF.Afiya Shehrbano Zia, famous feminist researcher is an active member of WAF, from Karachi.