The award recognises women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment at great personal risk.
The department said that Haider was the “Iron Lady” of Balochistan, who had founded a non-profit to lift local communities by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children. “She has fought against violence against women in public spaces,” the statement added.
Who is Jalila Haider?
Jalila Haider is a rights lawyer free legal who renders her legal services free of cost to women in poverty. In Oct, 2019, Haider was named among the 100 most influential women of 2019 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
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In addition to it, being a vocal activist for the rights of women, she is also the founder of We the Humans, a non-profit organisation working with local communities to provide opportunities for vulnerable women. She has been fighting for the rights of women of deprived areas in Balochistan.
Taking to social networking platform Twitter, Haider had expressed profound joy at being named in the list, saying she was honored by the mention.
Wow, This is an honor for me that I am among the @BBC100women list 2019 from Paksitan. I want to congratulate Parveen Ahanger @_APDP also to be the among the list. More power to the brave women of Kashmir.@nighatdad @mariaItarana @BBCWorld @BBCUrdu @IsmatShahjahan https://t.co/xMdFEK2hxc
— Jalila Haider #StopHazaraGenocide (@Advjalila) October 16, 2019
Jalila was barred from traveling abroad
Haider was earlier this year barred from boarding a flight to the United Kingdom by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at Lahore airport. According to sources, the rights lawyer was detained at the airport on Jan 20, as she arrived to catch her flight. Haider had been scheduled to board a plane to London where she was due to attend a conference related to her work. However, after the condemnation on travel ban of Jalila, she was given permission for travel. Due to her services for women of the deprived areas, she has been honored with International Women of Courage Awar.