Shahnaz Bukhari
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Shahnaz Bukhari is an Pakistani clinical psychologist, and activist. She is founder and director of the Progressive Women’s Association (PWA).
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[edit] Education
Master's of Science from Punjab University, Lahore.
[edit] Activism
- Bukhari lobbied for the institution of all-female police stations in Pakistan and was successful in January 1994, under Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto[1]
- Bukhari stablished the first destitute home in Rawalpindi for female Domestic Violence victims (known as AASSRA) in 1999, in her own home. It was intended as a safe haven where battered women with children could acquire self-respect and were empowered to plan their futures. AASSRA accommodates 30 residents at a time. It has supported 150-120 women per year since it started in spite of police raids.
- Bukhari and the Progressive Women's Association have uncovered over 5,675 stove-death victims as part of the 16,000 cases they have documented of violence against women.[1]
[edit] Controversy in Pakistan
- In 2001, she was arrested for "abetting an attempt to commit adultery." In the case, after a woman fled the AASRA shelter seeking escape from an abusive husband, Bukhari was charged for failing to deliver the woman to the authorities. She was tried under nation's Sharia law and exonerated two years later.[1]
[edit] Awards and Recognitions
- May 20, 2004 - 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award[2]
- 2003 - Civil Courage Prize, New York-based Northcote Parkinson Fund
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Bio of Bukhari at Women's eNews", Women's eNews, 2004-05-20.
- ^ "21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award for 2004", Women's eNews, 2004-05-20.
