Fight Against Dowry Advocacy Network (FADAN)

Some milestones in Pakistan regarding struggle against Dowry abuses/violence highlighting the struggles of Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen

1995-1998

Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen as an anchor for live morning shows on PTV and as a columnist highlighted the issue.

1999-2013

Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen as theatre (interactive, shadow & street)  writer, producer  and director highlighted the issue.

1999-todate

Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen has talked about the multifaceted issue of dowry and related violence in a number of TV & Radio talk shows, interviews and panel discussions.

1999

SACHET Pakistan a multidimensional nonprofit was co-founded by Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen that started working on gender issues through service delivery and advocacy initiatives. Dr. Rakhshinda Perveen the founding Executive Director, produced Gender Watch Pilot Series aired on PTV that won PTV Excellence award in 2001.

2000

AGEHI (meaning insights /awareness in Urdu) was established by Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen, that started advocacy and awareness initiatives for addressing gender-based violence with a special attention towards understanding dowry violence, in Pakistan.

2001

FAD (Fight Against Dowry) Project, launched. AGEHI Resource Center’s Study Report “Violence against Women in Pakistan” launched.

2002

  • FAD(Fight Against Dowry) Project Research presented in 3rd Annual PAP Population Research
Conference
  • Rakhshinda Perveen presented her research paper in an International Conference on
Dowry, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • First ever Public service message on Dowry (Spot) on TV Networks produced by AGEHI
  • Seminar on Gender based Violence & Dowry; Lahore with Him mat Society, British Council and
UNDP was organized by AGEHI.

2003

  • FAD (Fight Against Dowry/Jahez k kjilaf jang) a TV Magazine Show by AGEHI Resource Center aired on PTV
  • Legal Rights Awareness Sessions Initiative Launched by AGEHI
  • ACHET organized and facilitated a first national workshop on the issue of Dowry in
collaboration with Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan by inviting justices from all four provinces and other stakeholders related to judiciary and parliament by recommending certain changes in the existing dowry law.

2004

  • First one day national FAD (Fight Against Dowry) workshop for Focal persons of FADAN was
organized at Islamabad. FADAN was formally launched too.
  • Commemorating Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender Based –
Advocacy and Awareness on Dowry Related Issue in Pakistan by FADAN
  • A shadow Play “Hum Daikhain Gainn” on the issue of Discriminatory laws and violence against
women were performed on the occasion of National Women’s Day on 12th of February at community center Aaabpara, Islamabad.

2005

  • Four provincial seminars in Multan, Hyderabad, Peshawar and Quetta were organized to
sensitize people from different walks of life on the issue of Dowry violence. Around 15, 00 people were sensitized.
  • A shadow Play “Apnay Baitay key naam jou main paida na kar saki, Aik chitthi” depicting
problems being faced by women in our society, was performed on international women’s Day on March 08 at NIC Auditorium and the same play was also performed at AGEHI Training Hall in front of civil society representatives in the month of April.

2006

  • launch of World Bank’s report, “Country Gender Assessment” in which FAD project was
acknowledged as an effective advocacy effort for gender empowerment.
  • Managing “Women Friendly Spaces and Hammams” project, funded by UNFPA is initiated in
District Mansehra.
  • AGEHI theatre group performed at World Social Forum, Karachi on March 21st. It was a
shadow Play “Apnay Baitay key naam jou main paida na kar saki- Aik chitthi”, which highlighted the problems of Pakistani women i.e. honor killing, violence and gender discrimination.
  • Second national FAD (Fight against Dowry) workshop for change makers of Fight against Dowry
Advocacy Network was organized on July 10.
  • FADAN (Fight Against dowry Advocacy network) yahoo group was activated to provide an open
forum for change makers to share their concerns regarding dowry violence and its correlated issues in Pakistan.

2007

  • Silver Ribbon movement to end dowry violence: SACHET-Pakistan observed 16- days of
activism, to end violence against women from November 25-December 10, 2007. The campaign was launched to raise awareness and sensitization among people on the issue of dowry and violence against women& girls.

2008

  • Launched a poster under FADAN (Fight against Dowry Advocacy Network)-Silver Ribbon
  • Movement to celebrate 16 Days of Activism against Gender based violence.

2009-2014

  • AGEHI launched a poster “FADAN-Challenging the elitist consensus and dowry issues include
the denial by the intellectual elites on dowry violence” in connection with the celebration of National Women’s Day 2009.
  • AGEHI launched a book titled “From Gender Watch to FADAN” covering the first decade of
services and initiatives under Fight Against Dowry Advocacy Project of SACHET SACHET planners on the themes of dowry violence
  • Miscellaneous activities with communities, media, youth, and rights-based activist to highlight
dowry related violence

2015:

  • Commemoration of Sixteen Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender Based –
Advocacy and Awareness on Dowry Related Issue in Pakistan by FADAN
  • Collaboration with the National Human Rights Council, to highlight the issues of dowry related violence at policy level for increasing awareness among stakeholders and lobbying for an effective legislation against this “forgotten” form of highly prevalent violence not only against women and girls but men
and boys as well in their roles as fathers and brothers seen responsible for financing marriage ceremonies of daughters and sisters and boys/men who cannot get the right match because of a harmful cultural practice “vulvar”/bride price.
  • 17 November 2015-declared as the anti- dowry day by FADAN.

2016-2018

  • Organized 17 November as anti-dowry day regularly
  • Rakhshinda spoke about the need of a tough law and unpacked dowry violence in different conferences, TV shows, youth related activities besides writing for the Daily Times and AHRC.
  • 2018 -UNWomen started a campaign against dowry demand & related issues

Recognitions:

   

2001 :

Invited as the key speaker to an international conference in Bangladesh on dowry organized by the British Council.

2003: 

Formally recognized as an Ashoka Fellow .

2009-2012:

Initiated and conducted a pioneering National Research study on dowry violence in Pakistan in collaboration with UNIFEM (now UNWOMEN).The research entitled “Forgotten” was published in 2012.

2010:

Selected as fellow for IAF Fellowship from South Asia. Human and Civil Rights-a political perspective. International Leadership Academy of Fellows, Theoder Huess Academy, Gummersbach, Germany.

2014:

UN watch invited Dr.Rakhshinda Perveen at the sixth conference on human rights and democracy in Geneva, as the guest speaker.  

2018:

UNWomen Pakistan, started a campaign against dowry demand & related issues  

Currently Kafe Kaam is hosting the Secretariat of FADAN