Who are we?

        ANAA is an advocacy group that seeks to create international awareness of violence against women in Pakistan. Our aim is the promotion of civil society initiatives in Pakistan that will eradicate discriminatory laws, cultural practices, and beliefs that oppress women and allow the victimization of women to continue unabated.

        Where we stand?

        We are a human rights organization that seeks to transcend divisions of faith, color, creed, and culture in an effort to unify and mobilize people on the basis of humanity and common outrage at the mistreatment of humans. We believe that the principles of human dignity and respect are universal and hope to bring together those who recognize the universality of these principles to assist us in our cause.
.........We do not have any political affiliations and seek to work with any and all organizations, governmental and non governmental, as well as individuals of all faiths, races and nationalities who share with us the vision that women must be empowered and that social legal and cultural practices which seek to oppress women must be eradicated.

       Why Pakistan?

        We recognize that violence against women is prevalent all over the world in both developed and developing countries. Our choice of focusing our attention toward Pakistan is not a testament to the relative severity or frequency of sexual violence against women in Pakistan vis-a vis other countries. Instead, it stems from wanting to focus our attention on the country of our own origin and improving the plight of women in an area of the world where resources to deal with the problem are very scarce
........Although Pakistan has seen a variety of political regimes come and go, discriminatory laws as well as social, cultural and institutional ignorance toward the plight of women continues to persist regardless of who holds the reigns of government. It is only by creating a global coalition that focuses debate on this issue that we can bring about change.

     Why we invited Mukhtaran Mai?

        Mukhtaran Mai's heroic refusal to be a silent victim after being gang raped makes her a symbol of the resilience and courage of the Pakistani woman. Her bravery and determination to be a spokesperson for the empowerment of women impressed us so much that we wished to give her the opportunity to reach a wider audience. In bringing her story to the United States we hope to create an international dialogue that will focus international attention on this issue and mobilize the international community to work with us on this issue.

        Our goals?

        Our primary goal is to create international awareness about the plight of female victims of sexual violence in Pakistan. In holding symposiums around the United States and attracting like-minded individuals to our organization we seek to initiate social mobilization both in Pakistan and abroad that will work to empower women. We wish to raise funds to initiate projects within Pakistan that are aimed at educating government and law enforcement officials about crimes against women, establishing women's shelters that can be safe havens to women fleeing abuse and initiate legislative safeguards that promote reporting and prosecution of rape and other crimes against women.

        Why we want her to meet United States Congress?

        We have sought Congressional hearings for Mukhtar Mai for the following reasons. We believe that her heroism and determination in the face of her ordeal will be an excellent argument for Congress to provide monetary aid to civil society initiatives in Pakistan. The US Congress currently funds such programs in a variety of countries from the Middle East to Central Asia. However, there are no such bi-national programs in Pakistan. Their assistance in funding initiatives focused on the prevention of violence against women in Pakistan would be an incredible asset to Pakistan as well as an excellent symbol of the United States commitment to equality and empowerment of women around the world.