Pakistan has been a priority country for international development assistance since the early years of its creation. Though Pakistan celebrates National Women’s Day on 12 February each year to commemorate the 1983 women’s march, three decades of war in neighbouring Afghanistan have stoked violent extremism and constrained development gains and gender equality. Canada led the first global efforts to support women’s rights and gender equality in the region.
The Twelfth of February tells the story of the Canadian International Development Agency’s support for women’s organizations and civil society in Pakistan. Rhonda Gossen traces the ebbs and flows of financial aid, drawing on her own unique experience as a development worker as well as compelling interviews with activists, non-governmental organizations, officials, and diplomats. She assesses how women’s organizations work to resist violent extremism and makes the connection between gender inequality and security threats in a volatile region. Despite the influence of Islamic extremism, the gender equality movement in collaboration with civil society in Pakistan did make tangible headway.
The Twelfth of February addresses a problem that is all too timely: given violent extremism’s devastating impact on development gains including women’s rights, security , and the elimination of gender-based violence, what is the future role for international development?
Authors
- Published in
- Montreal, CA
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Copyright 5
- Contents 8
- Figures 10
- Acknowledgments 12
- Prologue 16
- Part One: Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back 26
- 1 The Year of Qisas and Diyat 28
- 2 Exposing Vulnerabilities 40
- 3 Violent Extremism and Women’s Empowerment 50
- 4 From Women in Development to Feminist International Assistance 63
- 5 Field Visits under Armed Escort 75
- 6 Crimes in the Name of Honour 98
- 7 The Hudood Ordinances: A Lingering Backdrop to Legal Protections 111
- Part Two: Gender Equality in Dangerous Places 126
- 8 The Dark Years in Afghanistan 128
- 9 The Golden Years for Civil Society in Pakistan 138
- 10 The Forerunners: cida’s Women’s Funds 152
- 11 After 9/11 and “Operation Enduring Freedom” 165
- 12 Twilight Years: End of an Era for Canada in Pakistan 179
- Part Three: Entry Points and Shrinking Spaces 194
- 13 Being a Feminist in Difficult Places 196
- 14 Understanding Obscurities 210
- 15 Security, Gender Equality, and Development 224
- Epilogue 234
- Appendix: Chronology 236
- Notes 244
- References 256
- Index 270
