TABLE OF CONTENTS

MEHERGARH: A CENTER FOR LEARNING

I. BACKGROUND OF MEHERGARH

II. ESSENTIALS OF OUR APPROACH

GOAL OF MEHERGARH

OBJECTIVES

PROCESS OBJECTIVES

STRATEGY

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR 2017

I. CONTINUED STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION OF ANTI-SEXUAL

HARASSMENT LEGISLATION

RAISED AWARENESS ON HOW TO MAINTAIN ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT EDUCATED HUMAN RESOURCE AND LEGAL PROFESSIONALS ON HOW TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THE ACT TRAINED TRAINERS AND INQUIRY COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON ANTI-SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWS ENGAGED STUDENTS SUPPORTED INDIVIDUALS & INQUIRY COMMITTEE MEMBERS WITH CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT GUARDED THE LEGISLATION

II. PROMOTED THE RIGHTS OF RAPE SURVIVORS TO LIVE WITH

DIGNITY

SHIFTING FOCUS OF THE SOCIETY

Hosted the Secretariat of Pakistan Nari Tehreek

Engaged Youth to Address the Issue

Launched City Chapters Of “Pakistani Men Against Rape’

Encouraged University Students

Social Media Campaign

III. PREPARED YOUTH LEADRES TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY

AND PROMOTE PLURALISM

ENGAGED YOUTH LEADERS TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY BY COUNTERING MILITANCY & PROMOTE PLURALISM

Celebrated Cultural Diversity

IV. USED MEDIA TO DEVELOP RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

PRINT MEDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA

I. BACKGROUND OF MEHERGARH

Mehergarh: A Center for learning was born out of a firm conviction on the part of its founders that existence of a progressive critical mass of young people is crucial to bring about a positive change in Pakistan’s society and polity. The founders believe that the decline of Pakistan’s state and society can be arrested and the social order re arranged in a manner which is in sync with the democratic principles as well as grounded in the diverse cultural matrix of this land. Mehergarh, therefore, seeks to prepare a new cadre of motivated young leaders by equipping them with sensitivity towards human rights, gender justice and ethical processes to effectively take charge of their roles as active citizens, leaders and change agents. It seeks to inculcate in this cadre a spirit of ownership of the depth and breadth of the cultural heritage of this land and a spirit of volunteerism to promote tolerance, appreciation of diversity, equality and social justice, given the diverse demographic reality of Pakistan. It believes that change has to come from within and transformed leadership at every level can facilitate this change.

Since its establishment, Mehergarh has worked assiduously on youth with remarkable results. Sustained efforts over the years have resulted in creating a pool of young leaders who are working across the breadth of Pakistan for achieving the ideals that Mehergarh stands for: A progressive, tolerant, pluralistic and democratic Pakistan.

Mehergarh: A Center for Learning takes its name from the 8,000 - 10,000 year old civilization that existed in what is now the Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The civilization exhibited, as archaeological evidence suggests, strong elements of modern ideas, learning, aesthetics and an interesting absence of weapons. The institute is called Mehergarh because it reminds the new generation that civilization in the land that constitutes Pakistan today, has existed for millennia and did not come into being in 1947. It seeks inspiration from the strength of diversity and cultural heritage of this land even as it works to transform elements of this society from within.

MEHERGARH: A CENTER FOR LEARNING

In the context of the onslaught of the recent trend of heavily funded ‘development projects’ and derailing of our social movement away from social activism, Mehergarh brings back the spirit of volunteerism and activism. The loss of this spirit has adversely impacted the growth of a collective self of our society, consequently, a disconnection of the people from the collective issues and rights of the citizens. Mehergarh aims to revive this spirit and rekindle the motivation to rebuild our home jointly.

In terms of themes Mehergarh works on human rights and gender equality for all citizens and upholds the principles of social justice and democracy. It has increasingly expanded its outreach to many issues, some of them on its own and others in collaboration with other organizations. It promotes playing as a team and therefore works with its volunteers in all parts of the country. It develops and engages with networks. The best known is the Alliance Against Sexual Harassment, AASHA, where Mehergarh was the hub of its activities and its secretariat. Mehergarh’s institute and its facilities are acquired by the resources that come from its core members, which reflects their strong commitment to the cause. Mehergarh is, true to its spirit, largely a volunteer organization, seeking only modest resources for some of the programs. Members with experience in civil society movements render services free of cost for Mehergarh’s activities. Continued support from the core members and supporters all over the country keeps Mehergarh moving forward with its mission.

II. ESSENTIALS OF OUR APPROACH

Mehergarh’s vision is working towards the realization of the principles of...

GOAL OF MEHERGARH

Transforming our society into a nation that exemplifies democracy, secularism, gender equality and social justice.

OBJECTIVES

Building capacity of our future generation, young men and women, to become responsible citizens and ethically lead progressive social change

Identifying and taking up issues of violence and dehumanization of women and build movements around them for concrete change in the society

Identifying and filling gaps within the social movement related to blind spots, shallow analyses, lack of research, short term reactive activism and low capacity of social activists

Taking up issues related to dignity and rights of citizens of extremely vulnerable and stigmatized segments of our society

Promotion of the progressive elements of our traditional culture and mystical heritage for a peaceful and pluralistic society

Secularism, where the state and the citizens give everyone the right and the freedom to follow his or her own beliefs.

Gender Equality, where women, men and transgender have equal social status and are free from the traditional paradigms of patriarchy.

Social justice, where all citizens can live their lives with dignity, security and basic human rights, especially vulnerable groups like women, transgender & minorities.

Democracy, where every citizen, including women, transgender and minorities, is empowered.

PROCESS OBJECTIVES

Promote volunteerism and ‘old fashioned’ social activism for dealing with collective societal issues

Promote long term action strategies as opposed to projectized, donor-dependent short term activities.

Engage youth in campaigns and other social action with the objective of grooming and mentoring them as future activists and leaders

Strengthening the traditions of performing arts, especially folk singing, dancing and theatre, as tools for harmonizing diversity and for transformation on an individual and collective level

STRATEGY

To build a school of thought that describes a perspective for social change and provides the salient features of an indigenous approach to social activism. This is based on years of experience of working on progressive transformation, careful study of the social change process and the social cultural context. It will prepare the ground for rooting long term indigenous plans for social change.

To set precedent of playing as a team with the government, media, private sector, civil society and other concerned segments of the society that have a stake in the social issues.

To promote a perspective where each institution is not seen as a homogeneous entity but a collective of diverse individuals with varying intentions. This perspective helps find allies and build networks as opposed to stereotyping these institutions.

To create a hub/training-ground for grooming young people in social and political analysis, activist strategies and practicing social action.

To propagate an empowered social change approach of developing solutions to problems and mobilizing support for them rather than only protesting, complaining, grumbling, bashing and criticizing situations and actions.

To connect with our ancient cultural roots for the propagation of the perspective that we are old residents of a land that has layers of cultures, religions, world views and ethnicities, as opposed to a contrary view of being born in 1947 or with the arrival of Mohammad-bin-Qasim.

To include a component of self-actualization in every activity, reinforcing the connection between the existence and transformation of all societal issues at both individual and the collective levels. At times, the instruments of control

against which we struggle are also rooted deep within ourselves, the agents of change. A continuous struggle to acknowledge that and work on it needs to be a part of bringing about social change.

To promote a pluralistic view of Pakistani society, where different ethnicities, religions, lifestyles, genders and perspectives can co-exist peacefully and respectfully and learn a non-violent expression of emotions across these differences.

To encourage the concept of a collective whole so that we can feel the collective pain of people and come up with solutions that would contribute on a larger level, much bigger than our own problems, our lives or our surroundings.

To protect progressive spaces created by us or others and stand in solidarity

with those who take risks to bring about positive change. Our society continues to reprimand whistle blowers and those who dare to take a stand. Promoting a culture of solidarity for such a change and taking a risk for the other is needed.

To promote a process of change that is true and congruent to the objectives of change. The means to an end should reflect the value sought in the end. Thus our struggle for change should reflect within itself the principles of democracy, respect for our differences, following ethics and upholding justice.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR 2017

CONTINUED STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION OF ANTI-

SEXUAL HARASSMENT LEGISLATION

Mehergarh has been working on the countrywide implementation of Protection

Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, with federal and

provincial governments, private sector, civil society and media. During the year, we

observed a larger number of organizations actively engaged in complying with this

law. In 2017, Mehergarh facilitated 105 organizations comply with the law; 45 in

public sector, 40 in private sector and 20 in civil society. Within these organizations

we built the capacity of 2600 individuals throughout the country including Standing

Inquiry Committee Members, HR professionals and trainers. Short awareness sessions

and one to four day trainings were offered to build their capacity. In addition, social,

print and electronic media were also used to educate people and change their mindset

on the issue of sexual harassment.

Raised Awareness on how to Maintain Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment

Mehergarh conducted

more than 30 awareness

sessions throughout the

year and educated 2000

employees of different

public and private sector

organizations including

universities, hospitals,

banks and media networks

about the issue of sexual

harassment and use of anti-sexual harassment law to curb the issue. More than 2000

professionals were educated in these sessions. Some of the organizations where these

sessions were conducted are Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Postal

Staff College in Islamabad, Rehman Medical Institute in Peshawar, Sindh

Ombudsperson’s Secretariat, Habib Metropolitan Bank and WIBCON in Karachi,

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Forman Christian College in

Lahore.

Educated Human Resource and Legal Professionals on How to Effectively

Implement the Act

Mehergarh conducted 20, 1 & 2 day trainings for more than 600 representatives from

55 public and private sector organizations from all over the country. Election

Commission of Pakistan National Press Club Islamabad, Information Services

Academy, Allama Iqbal Open University, OXFAM, Medicines Sans Frontiers in

Islamabad, Finca Microfinance Bank, LUMS, Packages in Lahore, Women

Development Department (WDD) Sindh, National Bank of Pakistan in Karachi are

some examples.

Trained Trainers and Inquiry Committee Members on Anti-Sexual Harassment

Laws

Mehergarh organized three residential trainings on Anti-Sexual Harassment

Legislation, at Mehergarh Training Center and 1, four day residential training in

Quetta during the year. These training built the capacity of about 90 professionals

from 28 organizations including the State Bank of Pakistan, Finca Microfinance Bank,

ECO Science Foundation, Habib Metropolitan Bank, Meezan Bank, Social Welfare

Department Balochistan, Social Welfare Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, RSPN,

NRSP & BRSP, Bedari, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Lok Virsa, Technical

Education and Vocational Training Authority(TEVTA), Peshawar University,

University of Balochistan, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and

Technology (SZABIST), National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and

National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS).

Engaged Students

More than 600 students from International Islamic University, Air University, Fatima

Jinnah Women University, Lahore University of Management Sciences and Quaid-e-

Azam University were educated by Mehergarh to improve the environment at the

universities for students.

Supported Individuals & Inquiry Committee Members with Cases of Sexual

Harassment

Mehergarh supported a number of individuals with the cases of sexual harassment in

this year. Standing Inquiry Committee Members, who approached Mehergarh with

complex cases, were also guided with techniques to deal with such cases, especially

when they are without any evidence.

Guarded the Legislation

Mehergarh not only works to strengthen the implementation of workplace

harassment law in the country but also guards it from any attempt of amendment that

intends to weaken the grasp of the law. Mehergarh successfully averted a number of

amendments proposed on provincial and federal levels since 2010. Mehergarh worked

with government, civil society, parliamentarians and relevant departments to avert

the amendments proposed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of

Women (KPCSW) and Women Development Department Sindh in 2017.

Working with civil society of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Meeting with Ms. Nuzhat Shirin, Chairperson, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women

PROMOTED THE RIGHTS OF RAPE SURVIVORS TO

LIVE WITH DIGNITY

Rape is the most stigmatized issue of our society and unfortunately the victim of

rape is blamed for getting raped, instead of the one who commits the crime.

Mehergarh, with other civil society organizations aimed to challenge the culture

of victim blaming by working on shifting the focus of society from rape

victims to the criminal act of rapists by changing their mindsets towards the

issue of rape.

SHIFTING FOCUS OF THE SOCIETY

Hosted the Secretariat of Pakistan Nari Tehreek Mehergarh has been hosting the secretariat of ‘Pakistan Nari Tehreek’, a group of

women leaders from all over Pakistan, committed to collectively work on the issues

of women. Lately, the focus has been on the issue of Zabarjinsi (Rape).

Engaged Youth to Address the Issue

Mehergarh conducted multiple awareness sessions with youth to educate them on the

most stigmatized and serious issue of rape so that they are able to address it in the

larger society by changing the mindset from victim blaming to holding the rapist

accountable. Showing Shoaib Mansoor’s documentary ‘Hum Aisay Kiyun Hain’, which

highlights the attitude of people towards the issue of rape & myths around it, and

discussions for conceptual clarity were part of a specially designed campaign.

Launched Countrywide Chapters of “Pakistani Men Against Rape’

Rape is an issue of the whole society and it is the responsibility of both men and women

to work together to curb this evil. Mehergarh worked to strengthen the membership of

men in ‘Pakistani Men Against Rape’, a

voluntary movement of responsible men who

aim to curb rape and stand to raise their voice

against rape culture. The movement was

initiated in 2015 and this year it launched

around 36 city chapters all over Pakistan.

Cities including Chitral, Abbotabad,

Rajan Pur, Dera Ismail Khan, Layyah,

Sargodha, Faisalabad, Chaghi, Kharan,

Khair Pur, Karachi and many others.

‘Verna’, a Film by Shoaib Mansoor on the Issue of Zabarjinsi (Rape)

Shoaib Mansoor, a well-known film

maker, launched a film ‘Verna’ in

November 2017 on the issue of Zabarjinsi

(rape). The film

depicted a true

picture of our

society on this

heinous crime and

broke myths

around rape that

exist in our society. Mehergarh took advantage of the film as it

was addressing the same issue and planned anti-rape campaign

aligned with the launch of the film, to encourage people to start

talking about this issue.

Encouraged University Students

Mehergarh announced a competition

between university students to identifying

the myths around rape that the film

‘Verna’ breaks, to actively engage them in

activities which increase their knowledge and

understanding of the issue. Mehergarh

distributed cash prizes, certificates and copy of

Shoaib Mansoor’s documentary ‘Hum Aisay

Kyun Hain’ among the top three winners of

the competition.

Social Media Campaign

Social media has become a great tool for spreading awareness among

people. Keeping in mind the importance of the

role of social media, a social media campaign was

designed with the objective to spread awareness

among people on the issue of Zabarjinsi.

Mehergarh shared video messages of members of

Pakistan Nari Tehreek, Pakistani Men Against

Rape and experts on Facebook pages. Introduced a

new term, ‘Zabrjinsi’, for rape and took it to

mainstream. Short clips from Shoaib Mansoor’s

documentary on rape were also shared on

YouTube and Facebook pages.

PREPARED YOUTH LEADRES TO STRENGTHEN

DEMOCRACY AND PROMOTE PLURALISM

Mehergarh believes in a truly democratic society, in which all the citizens, irrespective

of their faith, can enjoy equal rights. It is important to reclaim pluralistic spaces, which

have been taken away by the wave of religious extremism and militancy. Mehergarh

has been working to promote religious harmony, peace, social justice, cultural

diversity, spiritual heritage to take the pluralistic spaces back in order to create a

democratic society. We use resources like documentaries and publications and invite

the best resource persons in the country to transform our youth leaders.

ENGAGED YOUTH LEADERS TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY BY

COUNTERING MILITANCY & PROMOTING PLURALISM

Mehergarh engaged youth from all

provinces of Pakistan and

developed their leadership skills so

that they can play a strong role in

their communities to bring

democratic and pluralistic norms

back into their lives. In 2017,

Mehergarh brought together thirty

five youth leaders for five days, from 24th

to 28th November, 2017. These

participants, who belonged to different

ethnic, religious and cultural

backgrounds, were brought together to

inculcate a sense of tolerance among them

and encourage them to work together on

each other’s issues.

Dr. Khadim Hussain, Dr. Kamran

Ahmed, Maliha Husain and

Tauseeq Haider were among the

resource persons. Topics covered in

the training included Democracy,

History of religions, Pluralism,

Social, Political and Religious

Narratives, Militancy, Spiritualty,

Gender, use of media and social

media for activism and

Fundamental Rights.

Celebrated Cultural Diversity

Mehergarh believes that promotion of rich culture of our country could help in

bringing back peace and harmony and it is the best way to counter religious

extremism. Cultural Night is an important part of the Advance Youth Leadership

training, Mehergarh encourages youth to participate in cultural activities in which

they showcase their culture with traditional clothes, music, and poetry etc. The

activity provides them an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of their cultures and

faiths and helps them get closer to each other.

EDUCATED PEOPLE BY USING MEDIA AS A TOOL

Mehergarh largely used different mediums of media to educate people about their

democratic rights as a citizen of Pakistan. Platforms of electronic, print and social

media were used to raise awareness on various social issues of vulnerable groups.

ELECTRONIC MEDIA

Mehergarh participated in a number of television and radio programs to raise

awareness on sexual harassment, child abuse, peace and pluralism, women’s rights and

the issue of rape. During anti-rape campaign representatives of Mehergarh appeared in

various programs to address the issue of rape, to change the mindset of people towards

this issue. Radio Pakistan, PTV News, PTV World, BBC, Capital TV, Dawn, AAJ News,

Geo TV, Roze TV, Samaa News, Bol News and online channels broadcasted these

programs.

PRINT MEDIA

Mehergarh effectively used print media, i.e. articles,

press releases, columns, interviews, to create awareness

on various issues among the people. The News, Jahan

Newspaper, Jinnah Newspaper, Daily Times and

Pakistan Observer continue publishing our stories.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Mehergarh remained actively engaged in using social

media to access audience from all segments of life.

Posters and videos with relevant positive educational

messages prepared Mehergarh and others like Maati

TV, were shared on social media like Facebook, Twitter

and YouTube on various social issues.