Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) is the women lead registered organization whose resources and energies concentrate on mainstreaming the less-privileged and marginalized sections of society – women, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities. The AWAM is engaged in a) Human Rights Education, b) Research and Policy Analysis, and c) Influencing Decision Makers, and d) Connectivity of Local Groups with State Institutions. These dimensions have expanded the purview of the AWAM that provided logical grounds to team to work with Human Rights Institutions, Law-Makers, Law-Enforcers, Political and Religious Factions, and Community Groups to connect and communicate the grassroots concerns to decision-makers. All the AWAM’s efforts are concerned to contribute to establish a just, peaceful and inclusive society where diversities are respected and the people are treated equally.

  • To strengthen the capacities of different segments of society in the context of equality of citizenship and opportunity for the recognition of the marginalized sections, i.e., women, persons with disabilities and religious minority, and bridge the gap between the mentioned groups and state-institution/authorities,
  • To take initiatives to meet the un-tackled needs and problems of women and empower them for playing their role in practical politics & policy-making regarding social issues and structures based on democratic norms and values,
  • To assist deserving women legally irrespective of race, religion, caste or creed for ensuring their access to justice, and invite the media attention to the need of emphasizing the status of the family, and highlight women’s positive image and role in community development,
  • To promote peaceful coexistence, cultural and other social activities through motivational endeavors, awareness campaigns, cultural programs, and celebration of international days.
Human Rights Education

Inclusion and participation of women, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities at all levels are the primary focus of the AWAM. Therefore, human rights education is the fundamental component adopted in all the campaigns being designed and implemented by the organization to strengthen capacities and provide information to empower and train other community groups. Such strategic approaches transform local context to improve socio-political and socio-economic conditions, influence the socio-political situation to count less-privileged or marginalized groups, and promote human rights education. The ultimate purpose of all the efforts is to advance the concept of equal rights and opportunities for excluded groups such as women, persons with disabilities, religious minorities, and transgender people to enjoy legitimate liberties. To amplify and accelerate diverse groups’ efforts, the AWAM is engaged with Human Rights Institutions, Academia, Intellectuals, Journalists and Media Houses, Lawyers and Political Parties to empower women, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities.

Research and Policy Analysis

Laws and Policies always play a pivotal role in promoting and protecting the rights of the people. However, to assess the trickled down effects and observe the fruit of the legislation at the grassroot level is the domain of the AWAM. The research activities around issues related to women, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities, particularly, to assess that the laws and policies realize the aspirations of the general masses or demand much concentrated efforts from the decision-makers. The findings allow the AWAM to design the campaigns and finding common working grounds to collaborate with diverse stakeholders. Considering the AWAM’s mandates, result-oriented research and policy analysis is the unique features of the strategies to find the facts that obstructing the marginalized sections, particularly women, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities, from enjoying equal status. The findings also expose the trends of violation and invite the attention of key decision-makers.

Influencing Decision Makers

The grassroot activities and interaction with community groups made the AWAM find the grey areas of the implementing machinery’s policies and technical glitches. The Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, ensures equal rights and citizenship and forbids the decision-makers from introducing laws and policies that are in contradiction to ensure equal status. However, the poor will to transform such provisions as enshrined in the constitution into practical and under-resourced institutional setup obstruct vulnerable segments or less privileged groups to exercise their fundamental liberties. In this regard, the gesture to communicate the concerns of the grassroot communities and interaction with key decision-makers that can influence the laws and policies is one of the essential strategies of the CSOs. Such a context has created a space for the AWAM to interact and engage with key decision-makers to urge them to address the issues and resolve the concerns related to the statutes and implementation mechanisms.

Connectivity of Local Groups with State Institutions

Public sensitization and general awareness about the laws, policies and human rights institutions are the part and parcel component of effectiveness of statutes. The effectiveness of human rights institutions is dependent upon the connectivity of the grassroot community/groups. In this respect, the AWAM is playing its role connecting the grassroot movements to the human rights institutions and educating the general masses about the laws and policies concerning to empowerment of vulnerable groups including: women, persons with disabilities and religious minorities. This component is helping the AWAM for building the body of knowledge of different groups, bridging the gap between the community groups and state institutions, and building alliances. The CSOs believe that merely introduction of laws and establishment of Human Rights Institutions without awareness at mass level is a futile effort and would cut no ice. Hence, effectiveness of laws, policies and institutions depend upon the connectivity of the people.