Street Performances Create Awareness on Challenges Faced by Women
Date:
Punjab, Pakistan — Street theater performances held in public places and universities in Punjab - Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan – raised awareness on objectification of and violence towards women, female mobility in public spaces and recent laws and initiatives to protect and empower them.
This initiative was undertaken by the Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit - Law and Order (SMU) in collaboration with UN Women as part of the Province of Punjab’s 16 Days of Activism to end Gender Based Violence, and ran from 5th - 10th December 2016.
The first skit challenged female mobility and the social stigma attached to women riding motorcycles in Pakistan. The plot revolved around a girl whose future was threatened by the mere fact that her brother couldn’t drive her to her university everyday so the girl learns how to drive herself to university, on a motorcycle. She is encouraged by the Government of Punjab and UN Women’s ‘Women on Wheels’ initiative launched in January 2016, a motorbike training program aimed at increasing women’s and girls’ mobility, and combatting street harassment and other forms of violence in public spaces.
The second skit confronted violence and objectification of women, where a stool personifying a female is wrapped in a ‘dupatta’ [scarf] and has men revolving around her telling her what to and what not to do. It highlights how females are treated as personal property by their family and husbands and rarely looked upon as an individual with needs and dreams of her own.
The performances, based on actual stories of women, were followed by with an interactive session with the audience on how they can put an end to patriarchy and contribute towards making lives better for women and girls.
Mr, Salman Sufi (Senior Member at Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit) speaking of the initiative said: “The joint themes revolving around these performances range from violence against women in the private and public spaces to women’s mobility and the solutions to the challenges faced by them. The storyline for the performances has come from the experiences gained from the ‘Women on Wheels’ campaign and ‘Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces’ initiatives of UN Women. These stories speak about women who have now attained independence in fulfilling their daily tasks, from dropping their children to school, to supporting their families and getting an education.”
The performances were carried out by the Interactive Resource Centre (IRC).
Photo Gallery
