Hina Jilani

Jilani speaking at Women Deliver in 2016.

Hina Jilani (Urdu: حنا جیلانی؛ born 19 December 1953[1]) is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab. She is the founder of Pakistan’s first all-women law firm, Pakistan’s first legal aid center, and the Women’s Action Forum, an organization focused on campaigning for women’s rights and addressing Pakistan’s discriminatory laws.

Early life and education

Jilani was born and raised in Pakistan. She started practicing law in 1979, while Pakistan was under martial law.

Career

In February 1980, with her sister Asma Jahangir, Jilani co-founded Pakistan's first all-female legal aid practice, AGHS Legal Aid Cell (ALAC) in Lahore. Initially the activities were confined to providing legal aid to women, but gradually these activities increased to including legal awareness, education, protection from exploitation, legal research, counselling and providing legal assistance. She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) (a pressure group established in 1980 to campaign against discriminatory legislation). She also founded Pakistan's first legal aid center in 1986.[2] In addition to providing pro bona legal aid, she has also helped set up a shelter for women fleeing violence and abuse, called Dastak in 1991.[3] In addition to managing the shelter, Dastak also organise workshops to create awareness of human rights and the protection of women.[4]

Jilani is also affiliated with the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Carter Center, and the UN Conference on Women.[5] In 2019, the UK foreign office appointed the lawyer to a new panel of experts to develop legal frameworks to protect freedom of the media across the globe.[6]

Other activities

Roles at the United Nations

From 2000 to 2008, Jilani was the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders.[7] During that period, she was also appointed to the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, Sudan, in 2006.

In 2009, Jilani was appointed to the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.[8]

In 2017, Jilani co-chaired (alongside Tarja Halonen) the World Health Organization/Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights High-Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents.[9]

Threats

As a result of their work in the field of women's activism, Jilani and her sister Jahangir have been arrested, received death threats, and faced hostile propaganda, intimidation, and public abuse. Murder attempts have been made on them as well as members of their family.[10] In 1999, after representing the case of Samia Sarwar, a young woman who was seeking divorce from her abusive husband, Jilani and Jahangir were again subject to death threats. Samia's mother came with a gunman to her office on the pretext of seeking reconciliation with her daughter. The gunman shot Samia dead and fired at Hina who managed to escape.[11][12] On another occasion, gunmen entered her house and threatened members of her family. She herself was away from home; the threats put pressure on her to migrate, but she refused, and continues to live and work in Lahore.[13][14]

Recognition

See also

References

  1. ^ Profile of Hina Jilani
  2. ^ Interview with Hina Jilani Archived 19 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Documentary: Against my will". Archived from the original on 27 April 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  4. ^ Dastak holds workshop on care, treatment of women in distress. Daily Times.
  5. ^ Sawnet: Who's who – Hina Jilani Archived 10 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Indian lawyer Karuna Nundy on UK panel for new media framework". Hindustan Times. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Meet the featured human rights defenders – Hina Jilani", Carter Center, February 2009.
  8. ^ War crimes in Gaza: Interview with Hina Jilani by Mark Colvin (audio), ABC News, 16 September 2009.
  9. ^ Leading the realization of human rights to health and through health: Report of the High-Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents (2017) World Health Organization.
  10. ^ Biography Archived 25 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Jazbah Archived 29 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Interview with Hina Jilani (transcript), Law Report, 8 April 2008.
  13. ^ "World People's Blog » Blog Archive » Hina Jilani – Pakistan". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  14. ^ Hina Jilani visits EHRAC Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Ginetta Sagan Award Winners". Amnesty International. 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  16. ^ The Lawyer Awards Archived 30 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Registrar : Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland". www.tcd.ie. Retrieved 7 January 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hina Jilani.

Articles