VIDEO:
ANAA Releases its First Video:
NY 2005 RALLY by Somy Ali, FL co-ordinator.
Survivors:
2006 Events:
Mon, Jan 23: Las Vegas, NV
Mukhtaran to Community College of Southern Nevada Cheyenne Campus
Mayor Oscar Goodman's Office for Proclamation and Press conference
Location: Cheyenne campus June Whitley Student Center
Time: 11:30 AM-1 :00 PM
Open to Public.
Sponsor: Kiev Denby, The Department of Student Activities & ASCCN Student Government.
Contact: Zahra D Buttar 702-813- 5151
Sun, Jan 22: Houston, TX
Dosti Forum
Location: Grand Hall, Rice University
Time: 3:00 - 7:30 PM
Open to Public but please register online.
Co-ordinating Committee: Rice University South Asian Society, ANAA, AID, VBB.
Program Details.
Contact: ANAA's Houston Co-ordinator. Anwar Raza 281-878-7461
Sun, Jan 22: Las Vegas, NV
Mukhtar to the Meadow School: Women's Forum. Also to receive a proclamation from Senator Harry Reid.
Location: The Medow School Center for Performing Art. 8601 Scholar Lane.
Time: 1:30 PM
Open to Public.
Sponsors: Mustang Model United Nations Club.
Contact: Zahra D Buttar 702-813- 5151
Sat, Jan 21: Las Vegas, NV
ANAA fundraisor Dinner
Location: Tamba Indian Cuisine and fine Dining. 3743 South Las Vegas Blvd
Directions: Between Aladdin hotel and MGM grand
Time: 7:00 PM
Open to Public.
Cost - $50
Contact: Zahra D Buttar 702-813- 5151
Fri, Jan 20: New York, NY
An Interview with Mukhtaran Mai: "The Bravest Woman on Earth"
Location: Dug Hammerskjold Auditorium of the UN.
Directions:Please come to the Visitor’s Entrance of the United Nations at 46th Street and First Avenue.
Time: 2:00 PM
Collaborators: UN NGO DESA & ANAA
Program Details
Open to Public.
Thur, Jan 19: New York, NY
Mukhtaran Honored at IWHC Fifth Annual Gala
Location: Cipriani 42nd Street
110 East 42nd Street (just east of Park Avenue)
Time: 6:30 PM .
Program Details
2005 events:
Sat, Nov 5: New York, NY
Topic: Mukhtaran Mai speaks to help her Nation
Location: The Great Hall of Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street (at Third Avenue), Manhattan.
Directions: Subways: 6 to Astor Place; N/R to East 8th Street.
Time: 10:00-12:00 PM
Open to Public.(Details)
$5 donation requested
Nov 1: Washington, DC
Topic: 'Human Right in Pakistan - a way forward'
Partner: Woodrow W Institute,
Guest Speaker: Asma Jehangir and Larry Robinson
Open to Public, (see Details)
Tues, Nov 1: Washington, DC
Congressional Human Right Caucas Members' Briefing
Panel: US State Dep., Mukhtaran Mai, ANAA, AI, HRW.
Time: 4:00-5:00 PM
Location: Room - Rayburn 2203. (Details)
Mon, Oct 31, Washington, DC
Meet Mukhtaran Mai
Time: 6:30 PM
Where: Amnesty International; 600 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E.; 5th Floor.
Directions: Metro: Eastern Market: Blue/Orange lines. There is Citibank and Post Office in the building.
Only By Invitation
Contact: 202-544-0200 ext 482 (Details)
Sat, Oct 29 : Chicago, IL
Topic: Mukhtaran Mai speaks to help her Nation
Partner: Amnesty International USA, Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network, Chicago NOW, and CNOW Educational Fund
Open to Public, (see Details)
Fri, Oct 28: Madison, WI
Topic: Mukhtaran Mai speaks to help her Nation
Location: Red Gym in On Wisconsin room
Time: 6:30PM
Open to Public.
Tues, Oct 25 : Milwaukee, WI
Topic: Mukhtaran Mai speaks to help her Nation
Location: Islamic Center
Time: 6:30 PM
Open to Public.
Sept: NY Human Right Rally
Why: To stand in solidarity with women of Pakistan who are struggling to survive
Partners: Amnesty Int, USA Women H uman RIght Action Team
Open to Public: Check details
July: Houston Seminar
Topic:Violence against women in South Asia - Focus on Pakistan
Speakers: Abid H Manto, Sheila Jackson, Houston Congresswoman and others.
Open to Public: Check Details
June: DC Rally
Why: To demand Justice for Mukhtaran Bibi.
Partners: Amnesty Int., USA.
Open to Public: Check Details
June: NY Press Conference
Why: To Urge Pak Govt to let Mukhtaran travel to USA.
Partners: Turning Point for Women and families NY & Amnesty International, USA.
Open to Public: Check Details
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Speakers' Biodata & Program Timings (PDF)
In Collaboration With
The United Nations NGO DESA &
The Asian American Network Against Abuse
of Human Rights (ANAA)
Proudly Presents
An Interview with Mukhtar Mai:
"The Bravest Woman on Earth”
CNN Anchor Soledad O’Brien presents a special in-depth interview with Mukhtar Mai, the remarkable rape survivor who has emerged as an international spokesperson on women's rights in Pakistan. Honored as “Woman of the Year” by Glamour, Mai was gang raped in 2002 on the orders of a panchayat or tribal court as retribution for an offense allegedly committed by her younger brother. Defying social stigma and the culture of shame surrounding rape victims in Pakistan, Mai not only spoke out about her rape, but in a valiant move, took her rapists to court. This act was unprecedented for a woman of her background in Pakistan, a country where rape survivors are more often treated as the criminal rather than the victim. In a remarkable effort to challenge a system designed to deny a woman justice, Mai has been fighting an uphill legal battle for the past three years. She is now appealing her case before the Pakistani Supreme Court following a lower court's release of five of the acquitted men charged of the crime.
In Pakistan, the barriers to justice for women are endless. Tribal courts, as in Mai's case, routinely mete out cruel and inhumane punishments against women. From honor killings to acid attacks to gang rapes, women in Pakistan pay with their lives and bodies for alleged crimes violating their family's so-called 'honor.' To make matters worse, under Pakistan's rape laws, a woman must provide the testimony of four pious Muslim men to prove that she was raped. If she cannot do so, she risks being charged with 'zina' or adultery, an act punishable by stoning.
Mai, who never attended school as a child, is from the village of Meerwala in the province of Punjab, one of the poorest and most remote areas of Pakistan. While such attacks on women in rural Pakistan are not uncommon, what makes her case so exceptional is her will to live and not bury her head in shame following the harrowing atrocities committed upon her. In fact, since surviving the gang rape, Mai has become a proponent for women's rights in her village. She has used the compensation money received to open schools for girls and boys in Meerwala and enrolled in school herself. Continuing her impressive journey to assist women in need, Mai has also opened a shelter for abused women. Today, she remains firmly committed to improving the lives of young girls in her village and believes that the oppression of women can only be realized through their education. Mai says that helping other girls and women gives her a reason to live and her schools are indeed a testament to her courage.
In a country where violence against women is sanctioned by the legal system, Mukhtar Mai's struggle against illiteracy, judicial discrimination and societal bias against victims of rape is truly remarkable. Her story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit speaks to women all around the world and will be celebrated for generations to come.
Friday, January 20, 2006 @ 2 pm
Dag Hammerskjöld Auditorium
United Nations, New York
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