Family Planning Association of Pakistan
& UNICEF
Discrimination on the basis of sex is prevalent in most societies, but the situation is particularly grave in South Asia. Here the girl child is born into an unwelcoming world, where her birth is often mourned rather than celebrated, and throughout her life she is neglected, marginalised, mistreated and over-burdened with domestic chores.
Of all the countries of the region, Pakistan has the highest rate of son-preference, and families with limited resources allocate food, clothing, healthcare and education first to their sons. Spending on daughters is considered a waste, as it is an investment that is not perceived to bring forth much returns.
In light of this situation, the Girl Child Project was conceptualised following the declaration of the years 1991-2000 as the SAARC Decade of the Girl Child to reduce gender discrimination by empowering young girls through a revolutionary approach.
It was initiated on an experimental basis in 1991 by the Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) with the assistance of UNICEF and CIDA. What began as a pilot project in ten locations has evolved, five phases and thirteen years later, into a model project guided and supported by UNICEF and with assistance from the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation. To date it has been replicated in more than six hundred village and city locations across the country, accessing thousands of adolescent girls.
The project was launched to address the needs of girls between the ages of 11 and 18 years from rural and urban low-income families. More specifically it aims to raise awareness about the situation of girls and young women; to promote health, education and economic self-reliance in young girls; to provide girls with knowledge and skills; to encourage them to participate in the development process; to equip them to serve as role models and agents of change in their local environments; and to empower them to improve their status in families and communities. To achieve all these objectives the project has evolved a unique and dynamic approach made up of a sequence of implementation strategies with a set of supporting mechanisms.
The project has a multi-dimensional strategy for rural communities and urban slums. The core components are activities with the girls, for their self-development and capacity building. The expected results are heightened self-worth and confidence in the girls and increased value placed in girls as contributing members of society.
Community members (including parents and relatives of the girls) and young boys are also involved to help create a favourable environment for the young girls.
The following activities are implemented at each location:
Open Session
1 day, 160 community members
Orientation Workshop
5 days, 50 girls (11-18 years)
First Aid Training
5 days, 18 girls
Home School Training
5 days, 14 girls
Income Generating Skill Training
7-10 days, 18 girls
Leadership Workshop
2 days, 12 girls
Orientation, Career Guidance and Leadership Development for Boys
6 days, 30 boys (15-24 years)
Follow Up Visits
Refresher Trainings
Capacity Building Workshops
National Seminars
Presented at:
- Beijing Conference
- ICPD +5
- The Hague
- European Parliament
- British House of Commons
- UNICEF Child Rights Workshop, Bangkok
- SAARC Regional Girl Child Symposium, Rawalpindi
- United Nations Special Session for Children, New York
- SAARC Regional Youth Worksop, Kathmandu
- SAARC Conference on Safe Motherhood, Colombo
- Global Knowledge Partnership Workshop, Kuala Lumpur
My father does not love me;
Perhaps he does, but he doesn't express it.
My brother is younger than me,
But, because he is a boy,
He is the apple of my father's eye.
When my father comes home from work in the evening,
"My son, my son, my son!" is all he has to say.
Every word of my brother is like the order of a king.
He is my father's identity, my father's future.
It is my brother's doll's wedding tomorrow.
But my doll is still at home, alone and friendless.
No matter if my brother misses school,
No matter if he makes fun of me,
No matter if he raises his hand at me,
No matter if he breaks something.
But if I make even a small mistake,
My father immediately scolds me:
"You are 17 and still so useless!!
Perhaps you may get some sense when you are an old woman!"
My father says: "She does not belong to us,
She is a daughter, a shadow who is with us for a fleeting time only."
My mother says that when I go to sleep at night,
And wander carelessly in the wonderful world of dreams,
My father comes and fondles my head
Smiling softly to himself.
How I wish that one such day I wake up
To see and feel my father's love.
