International public policy and gender reforms specialist Salman Sufi on Sunday announced that he has been selected as the inaugural member of the international Vital Voices Solidarity Council (VVSC).
Salman took to Twitter to share the news and said, “Honoured to share that I have been selected as an inaugural member of @VitalVoices solidarity council. The council teams 12 males from around the world who work to end #ViolenceAgainstWomen. #HearMeToo.”
Honoured to share that I have been selected as a Inaugural member of @VitalVoices solidarity council. The council teams 12 males from around the world who work to end #ViolenceAgainstWomen . #HearMeToo https://t.co/U4xiBM20hJ
— Salman Sufi (@SalmanSufi7) December 9, 2018
The former director general of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit and a former member of the Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) was quoted on the VVSC website as saying, “In the conservative Pakistani society, women experience the world differently.”
Salman Sufi will be responsible for the establishment of a survivor service model that has gained international attention – the Violence Against Women Centres (VAWC) — as a part of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act.
The VAWCs offer first aid, medical and forensic assistance, police reporting and investigation, legal aid and post-trauma rehabilitation. According to Sufi, “Our women’s lives shall no longer be outlined by the atrocities committed against them, but through their achievements as empowered and equal citizens of Pakistan.”
The VVSC “is a unique endeavour bringing together men who are allies in the fight to raise global awareness on behalf of women and girls around the world,” as mentioned on their website.
Moreover, its focus is on “human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual violence and harmful practices, and engaging boys and men in meaningful conversations about masculinity”.
