About the Symposium

Background

Lack of awareness and non-enforcement of relevant laws remains a significant impediment to the realisation of women’s rights in marriage, which allows for persistent and flagrant violations of women’s legal rights to continue unabated. Therefore, it is paramount to generate discourse in academic and policy-making circles that paves the way for increased protection and actualisation of women’s marital rights. For that reason, CFHR aims to publish a thematic edition of its law journal, the Human Rights Review, to advance the research and academic literature on barriers to women’s understanding and enjoyment of their legal rights in marriage, and encourage creative solutions to protect and promote marriage rights for all Pakistani women, regardless of religion.

Through the thematic edition of the journal, CFHR intends to advance legal scholarship on marriage rights, and increase awareness regarding existing laws relating to the protection of women’s marital rights. By identifying shortcomings in the existing legal framework on marriage laws as well as specifying best practices in comparative jurisdictions, the journal endeavours to initiate advocacy efforts in order to fill relevant legislative and policy gaps that inhibit the advancement of women’s marriage rights in Pakistan.

With the journal scheduled to be published in January/February 2022, CFHR is organising an international symposium on the 9th and 10th of November to formally engage with the submissions in the thematic edition of the journal as a means of supporting discourse on women’s marriage rights in Pakistan. CFHR will invite legislators, leading academics, civil society organisations, members of the legal fraternity, amongst other stakeholders, to partake in the symposium.

About the Symposium

The theme of the symposium revolves around women’s marriage rights in Pakistan. The symposium aims to provide a platform for knowledge-sharing on various legal issues pertaining to women’s marriage rights in Pakistan. In addition to this, the symposium also hopes to provide an opportunity to engage with the generic understanding of marriage rights as dictated by socio-cultural norms in Pakistan. We hope that the symposium will act as a starting point for different stakeholders to participate in meaningful exchange on realities surrounding marriage rights, challenges and barriers, and the way forward for women in Pakistan.

Modality

Our two-day symposium adopts the traditional structure in terms of providing space for experts and academics to flourish and discuss legal discourse surrounding a number of specific issues relevant to women’s marriage rights in Pakistan. However, keeping in line with the spirit of CFHR, our symposium adds a twist to the traditional structure and also gives space to young girls and boys who will add their input in developing discourse around the implementation of marriage rights in Pakistan. This is manifested in our two-day agenda which provides space for both traditional panel setting seminars along with an exhibition walk that prompts art as a means of advocacy, moving away from the purely traditional understanding and structure of human rights discourse. To kick-start the symposium the CFHR will host virtual panels from 25th October – 4th November 2022.