Social - The Youth Blog

United We Win ; Divided We Fall

On this 25th December, as we celebrate the founder’s birthday (read: enjoy our day off from work), it is crucial to take a moment and ponder over this words and thoughts, and compare our present day situation to what the dream of Pakistan really was. Today, we are picking up the most popular slogan associated…

Women’s rights? A mere joke!

Trigger Warning: Mention of Sexual Harassment. Few days ago, while I was commuting back from my university, I was subjected to sexual harassment. Since I was traveling alone, the harasser followed me all the way till my home and kept flashing repeatedly. This occurrence left me in an unexplainable trauma, and I reached home with…

Community Engagement: Key to a Resilient Future

Strong communities are built only through the proactive participation of its members in all activities. Community Engagement can include activism in any area of social benefit from health and education, to climate and planning. Community engagement is a crucial solution to many of society’s pressing issues, and it’s about time we start the conversation. Have…

The Neglection of Women’s Mental Health Issues

Psychological issues affect everyone and they can only be handled if they are recognized timely. In Pakistan, almost everyone – especially women – is vulnerable to psychological difficulties and is fighting internal struggles. Surprisingly, 50% of Pakistani women were categorized as distressed women; despite the fact that they never had any formal mental diagnosis. Depression…

Advancing Women’s Rights in Pakistan: A Doctor’s Perspective

I am Dr. Hina Sikander, a medical professional deeply committed to the health and well-being of all individuals, particularly the women of Pakistan. I’m working with the federal government, currently in the International Mail Office. In this blog, I aim to shed light on the state of women’s rights in Pakistan, the progress that has…

Rid Us of the Persistent Depiction of Domestic Violence!

Mass media, in any society, has a powerful position to influence the overall culture, making it a critical component in creating and altering current ideologies within the given society. In a patriarchal orthodox society like Pakistan, our media’s role has been nothing short of a terrible nightmare in normalising our minds towards the glorification of…

Basic Level of Sensitivity: Too Much to Expect?

This post is in reference to the current show ‘Hadsa’ on Geo Entertainment. However, the basic premise remains true across the board – why can we not provide the most basic level of empathy in our portrayal of sensitive topics? It is no secret that the Pakistani drama industry often fails in properly handling and…

Celebrating Independence: Between Hope and Despair

Since childhood, 14th August has always been one of my favourite days of the year. I remember picking out a green outfit, placing flags, wearing a little green and white badge on my arm, and blasting national songs all day long. Patriotism cannot be restricted to one day, but this was always the day when…

Wreck-ed state of national affairs

For any morally alive nation, the drowning of 400+ civilians – while trying to escape the country – in a shipwreck should be the ONLY talk in the country for weeks. We, however, still have bigger issues to discuss like the attack on a part of a building a month back or how the former…

Hiding the symptoms does not heal the illness

Just like putting a bandage on a bullet wound is futile unless the bullet has been taken out first, censoring protests and claiming that ‘all is well’ when the country is burning from the inside only does more harm than good. The pain of structural amendments will have to be borne by all in order…