Introduction

In the socio-political life of Pakistani society, traditional gender roles define a woman’s place in her home but not at the workplace. Male is defined as the breadwinner. Consequently, society in general invests far more in men than in women. Pakistani women in Pakistan suffer from a poverty of opportunities throughout their lives. The female literacy rate is only 29%. Violence against women and girls (domestic violence, rape, honor killings, acid attacks, trafficking, etc.) is uncontrolled in Pakistan. Human rights groups posit that cases of honor killing go largely unreported, and the victims are frequently very young girls.

The SHE Project (Struggle-Hope-Empowerment) was established to respond to these issues. The SHE project strives “to develop culturally and religiously appropriate mechanisms of mediation and intervention for children and women victims/survivors of violence in its various forms in different areas of Punjab, particularly where PEB already has a presence.” The program is so effective and so critically needed that programs are now being offered in 20 communities. Representatives of the German organization Kindernothilfe were so impressed that they have provided funding for the program since 2006.