We all sang along Drake when he said “Started from the bottom, now we’re here”
However, a young lady hailing from Waziristan has done this LITERALLY!
After coming across a perverse social system in North Waziristan, Wafa Wazir shifted to Peshawar to pursue her education. However, shockingly for Wafa, observing the normalcy of unethical behavior toward females in Peshawar’s work place; she promised to her teenage self that she will develop a solution to this.
You read it right: DEVELOP. And that is what she did.
Wafa Wazir made her own NGO Zamung Jwandoon from scratch without any foreign or local aid. What she did have was a team of supportive friends, family, and volunteers.
It is not news to us that just like the rest of Pakistan, women in Peshawar face many unprincipled situations due to which, the culture to pursue justice in the women of Peshawar is unfortunately quiet low. Seeing the injudicious situation, Wafa Wazir started awareness campaigns mostly in the universities of Peshawar. These campaigns were aiming to educate the youth of Peshawar about their constitutional and Islamic rights.
During these campaigns, Wafa rose to the level of fame where she became an inspiration for the young naïve girls of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Using the sheer power of female unity, she arranged a cycle rally with the help of local government in March 2019 which faced a severe backlash from religious extremists.
She received several death threat calls on daily basis, getting her pictured plastered with a cross on her face on the walls of mosques around Peshawar and a large number of angry public calling her ‘YAHOODI AGENT’.
Albeit that her life was at risk, lucky for Miss Wazir, this proved to be a positive glare for her as she became a household name for her courageous efforts for safety of women in Peshawar. She in fact caught international attention for her uphill struggle.
The rally got postponed; nevertheless, she earned a status of a reliable being in the hearts of people of Peshawar as women started to approach her for multiple social issues.
Taking an inspiration from an unfortunate harassment case of her friend; Wazir decided to launch an application called “Women Protection Wing” in 2019. A team was established to create an application through which lawyers, police, psychologists, and social welfare can be approached without a hustle.
This application proved to be a cornerstone in one’s path toward justice. The application is exceptionally user friendly which assists its users in seven languages; English, Urdu, Pashtu, Farsi, Arabic, Bengali and Chinese. Along with women, it provides services to transgender, kids and males of Peshawar as well.
Keeping in view the literacy rate of Peshawar, the application is designed with a pictorial presentation. It also gives a chance to submit a complaint through a voicemail for those who can not type. To avoid fake cases, name, address, CNIC is compulsory to provide to counter any manipulation of application. With that said, identities are promised to remain confidential for the safety of the complainant. This gives a chance to lodge a complaint anonymously.
Through this easy to use application, one can post their complaint digitally and without requiring to pay a visit to a police station. The complaint is forwarded to the relevant department so the victim receives quick and a first hand facilitation from a seasoned regulator.
For instance, if a complaint related to a legal issue is received, the victim or complainant is then directed to a lawyer where he/she can discuss the matter without paying a physical visit. Through that, the lawyer can then take relevant actions required for the safety of the victim. The culprit is then thoroughly investigated and all this would be done without disclosing any information of the complainant.
Within the 10 days of its launch, the application received more than 20 cases related to domestic violence, forced marriage, child abduction and child custody. Till date, almost 5 cases have been solved that were submitted through this application.
For now, this application serves people of Peshawar only, however, Wafa Wazir is opting to make the application reachable for the newly merged regions of FATA as the judicial system is now open and under constitutional law in FATA. Through this application, the newly merged regions would experience social progress smoothly. With the help of government, this application would be accessed by the people of Balochistan in the near future as well.
The application has been introduced on android first due to the mass use of android phones in the lower and middle class society of Pakistan. Regardless, iOS users can indulge in the same services through their website www.zamungjwandun.com till the application is launched for apple users as well.
Due to the current unfortunate circumstances of COVID-19 around the world, mass advertisement of this application could not be possible nevertheless, it still managed to catch international hail through VOA and BBC as well as national news.
The efforts of Miss Wazir are phenomenal for social justice. She works as a front-line worker which puts her and her family at risk but that does not stop the stealth of this savage lady. She opts for roads that are unique and rewarding for KP and their women. Recently, Wafa Wazir was nominated as MPA for North Waziristan in KP assembly.
Such news brings hope especially in a society which has experienced unfortunate social tragedies in the past. We pray for a healthy and safe Pakistan.
