Acknowledging the efforts of the Pakistani rights activist known as ‘Iron Lady of Balochistan’, the US State Department announced on Tuesday that Jalila Haider, who belongs to Hazara community, will be awarded International Women of Courage Award 2020.

The State Department posted a statement on their website, terming Jalila 'Iron Lady of Balochistan’. Every year 12 women are selected for the International Women of Courage Award.

With International Women’s Day March 8 is approaching close, recognizing the women’s role in society has been started worldwide.

She is among 12 women worldwide to be awarded 2020 courage award including Zarifa Ghafari (Afghanistan), Lucy Kocharyan (Armenia), Shahla Humbatova (Azerbaijan), Ximena Galarza (Bolivia), Claire Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Sayragul Sauytbay (China), Susanna Liew (Malaysia), Amaya Coppens (Nicaragua), and Amina Khoulani (Syria), Yasmin al Qadhi (Yemen), Dr Rita Nyampinga (Zimbabwe).

Profile

Known as the Iron Lady of Balochistan, Jalila Haider is a human rights attorney and founder of “We the Humans – Pakistan”, a non-profit organization to lift local communities by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children.

She specialises in defending women’s rights and provides free counselling and legal services to poverty-affected women. The first female attorney of her Hazara community, Haider led a peaceful hunger strike to recognize the right to life for the Hazara following a series of targeted attacks. Haider has taken up the cause of many other vulnerable communities. As Balochistan’s President of the Women Democratic Front and Balochistan’s branch of the Aurat (Woman’s) March, she fought against violence against women in public spaces, at work, and at home.