Karachi: Iconic women from all over Karachi gathered at Bahria University on Tuesday to attend an event titled “You Go, Girl!”. The event was organized by the department of Media Sciences to celebrate women empowerment, and had the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz holder, Mehwish Hayat as the chief guest.
The conference had a series of lectures on women empowerment; an absolute combination of infotainment and entertainment. The conference highlighted what it takes to be a strong, independent woman. The event was divided into five sections spread throughout the duration of 6 hours, and was initiated by a welcoming speech from faculty members, Mr. Ibtesam Mazahir and Ms. Safeena Yasin. They summarized the concept of the event saying, “Strong women help each other to grow.” The panel of guests included famous inspirational women like Natalia Gul Jilani, Afsheen Hayat, Parveen Saeed and more.
The event was sponsored by J. by Junaid Jamshed, Quice juice, and Big Bang Discount App, FHM Magazine, People’s magazine, NAP, and bookitnow.pk. The event received overwhelming response, especially from the University’s students and faculty.
The first session of the event was conducted by Ms. Hija Kamran, specialist in digital rights and associated with Bolo Bhi foundation. She presented several scenarios revolving around online and offline harassment in common situations, cyber-crimes, digital media rights and how women can take a stand against harassment under laws stated in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.
The next session was led by Zainab Ansari, a self-defense trainer associated with The Forge, a Martial Arts school. The trainer gave a presentation explaining the basic D’s of self-defense which were Detect, Deter, Defend, and Disengage. This was followed by various interactive demonstrations presented by her team of 4 members who showed techniques to help one defend in different situations. In addition to this, she highlighted how important it is to stay in touch with situational awareness that improves the sensory skills.
The conference had two divisions of Stand-up comedy featuring the female comedians Natalia Gul and Erum Siddiqui. Various topics were discussed throughout the event in which body-shaming, harassment, gender inequality in the 21st century was mocked by the participants.
A segment of guest panel discussion was moderated by Safeena Yaseen with the guests Ujala Ali Khan, Parveen Saeed and Natalia Gul). This segment focused on their achievements, story, experiences and the persistence these women have shown.
The chief guest of the event, Mehwish Hayat, spoke about the challenges she faces in the media industry every day. In her speech, she added, “It is okay to criticize my work, but why do you question my morals?” She also stated, “the more famous you get, the lonelier you become.” She supported the women-centric event, and uplifted the participants by motivating them to stand for their rights.
