The SHARP-Women Capacity-Building Programme for Young Women Lawyers on Human Rights, Gender-Responsive Justice and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) officially commenced at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA), Islamabad, bringing together 25 young women lawyers for a five-day programme supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Opening Ceremony featured an inspiring keynote address by Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, Director General, FJA, who highlighted the Academy’s commitment to strengthening access to justice and welcomed the initiative’s focus on equipping women legal professionals with rights-based and survivor-sensitive approaches. He also commended SHARP for its continued efforts to strengthen legal protection for women in Pakistan.
Mr. Mudassar Javed, CEO SHARP, expressed appreciation to FJA and the German Embassy for their continued partnership and reaffirmed SHARP’s commitment to nurturing a strong cadre of women legal advocates capable of contributing meaningfully to justice, equality and human rights. The programme then moved into participant introductions and an overview of SHARP and the SHARP-Women initiative, presented by Mr. Aatif Afzal, Project Director – ICT, SHARP.
A key moment of the day was the inaugural address by Syed Liaqat Banori, Chairman SHARP, who drew on four decades of professional experience to reflect on the serious under-representation of women within Pakistan’s judicial system. He shared how this observation evolved into the vision behind SHARP-Women and emphasized the importance of nurturing a new generation of women lawyers who can lead meaningful reform from within the justice sector.
The day featured a series of expert-led sessions covering critical areas of human rights, women’s rights and gender-based violence:
Mr. Muhammad Naveed Khan, Additional Director, FJA, discussed women’s rights under international law and SDG 5, emphasizing that gender equality cannot be achieved without gender equity.
Ms. Bushra Kokeb explored Gender-Based Violence (GBV), its various dimensions, and the rights and protections available to women.
Ms. Sabina Iqbal Khan led a session on the Human Rights and Women’s Rights Framework, introducing key guiding principles and facilitating a group activity on women’s rights under the Constitution of Pakistan and national and international legislation.
The day concluded with a reflective activity led by Mr. Aatif Afzal, encouraging participants to share their expectations from the programme and envision how they can contribute to advancing women’s rights, protection and access to justice. As a symbol of the strong institutional partnership, Chairman SHARP presented a commemorative shield to DG FJA, Mr. Hayat Ali Shah, who reciprocated with a shield in recognition of SHARP’s collaboration with the Federal Judicial Academy.
The first day marked an important beginning — bringing together knowledge, experience and a shared commitment to empowering women lawyers as future champions of justice, human rights and gender-responsive legal practice.
