ODOS in Islamabad

In Islamabad, Pakistan the ODOS campaign is being observed by World Population Foundation (WPF) and Kuch Khaas. WPF believes that the struggle can be furthered through a youth-centric approach; because investing in the youth today is likely to pay dividends down the line.

The struggle for sexual rights in Pakistan is justifiable not only because sexual rights are human rights. But also because of the extricable link between sexual health and living standards/human development, which has been highlighted on numerous occasions in landmark international conferences such as the International Conference on Population Development and the UN summit on Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). However the struggle gains even more importance in Pakistan’s context because of the dismal sexual health rights of numerous segments of the population: women, children and adolescents and transgender, to be exact. In fact, in Pakistan, sexual health indicators are so poor that they aren’t comparable to even those of countries with similar socio-economic situations, specifically, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Every year in Pakistan close to 6000 women are burnt, buried and butchered to death; over 30,000 women die during labor or post-pregnancy; while close to 1900 children below the age of 12 are subjected to violent sexual abuse. Alarmingly, these figures are only those that made it to print. In reality, a thumping majority go unreported.

These figures, however, are only the tip of the iceberg. In truth, the sexual health problems extend to the issues of sexual identity, and to issues of discrimination and marginalization.

The fact that many Pakistani young people are not adequately sensitized about such issues only increases the likelihood of us being stuck in this same cycle of poverty and human rights transgressions. The whole idea is to bring such issues to the forefront. This is extremely difficult in a country where a variety of issues –mostly of political or religious nature –are competing for the headlines. We want the youth to take notice. We want them to comprehend that, when it’s their time, there is another problem for them to fix.

WPF-Kuch Khaas Partnership for ODOS

Keeping the aforementioned dismal conditions of youth SRHR in Pakistan and the fact that the majority of our population base is a very wide youth bracket, we decided to employ a youth-centric approach to reach our audience for the celebration of the Second International One Day One Struggle Campaign in Islamabad.

Nazoora Ali, Programme Manager Policy Advocacy introduced the WPF and CSBR and the significance of the campaign to highlight the SRHR as basic human rights, we moved forth with the rest of the activities. The activity agenda included a unique theatrical performance that amalgamated stage play as well as “shadow performance” technique in a single performance to depict specific SRHR issues and predicaments that plague our society. These included child sexual abuse, gender based violence, gender stereotyping and restrictions to expressions of sexuality. The play was crafted with much detail to intricacy and sensitivity of the subject matter, to deliver the right message across to the audience in a subtle yet insistent manner. The striking feature of the play remained the fact that very young and bright children enthusiastically took part in it, they not only understood the concepts being projected through their act, and rather they concurred with them completely. This eagerness and compliance with our aims and objectives was pouring out in their act, which in turn motivated the audience.

The stage play was based on the concept of “edu-tainment” –a behavior changing communications strategy employed by non-profits to reframe debate on a certain issue. The whole idea is based on the assumption that evoking an emotional response within the frame of a certain social issue is more likely to achieve the desired outcome than merely lecturing people about it. Its main purpose was to inspire the young audience to contribute, in whatever way they can, to the endeavor for sexual rights in Pakistan.

It seemed most fitting then that following the performance, a motivational speaker should step up and total the ambience with inculcating zeal and vigor in the audience, and prompt them to act on it. Thus, a motivational speaker Khadija Khan from the School of Leadership was invited to talk to the audience about the issues that had been projected in the play. This activity was enthusiastically well received by the audience, who took an active part in putting forth queries, giving opinions, answering questions and suggesting ways to move ahead with campaigning for SRHR in future.

The event was concluded by the writer Ahmad Shah Durrani, Programme Associate, WPF who has written and directed the play with a jovial and enthusiastic note from the audience. This was followed by a round of tea and a casual gathering of the audience to further discuss the avenues for SRHR struggle in Pakistan.