Mukhtar Mai’s drive to fight male chauvinism

MUZAFFARGARH, June 18: Women rights activist Mukhtar Mai has decided holding ‘open courts’ at district headquarters throughout the province in which she will listen to women being victimised by their husbands, parents or other influential of their localities and first such open court will be held here on June 21 (Saturday).

This would be first of its kind open court where Mukhtar Mai Welfare Organisation will help victimised women through financial as well as legal aid, organisation’s secretary Naseem Akhtar told Dawn on Wednesday.

She said that the organisation had received many complaints from women being victimised by their men who were also denying their women access to justice.

She said they had invited non-government organisations, lawyers and civil societies to attend the open court on Saturday and share the problems of victim women.

The organisation had planned holding such open courts last year as well but the idea could not be materialised owing to some reasons and, according to Naseem Akhtar, one of those reasons was that Mukhtar Mai had to travel to abroad in those days. Now, she said, the organisation had completed its homework and was ready to help women on a larger scale.1
Source: Dawn
Date:6/19/2008