20:39
Unknown
Islamabad
To educate children about gender equity and advocate against gender-based violence (GBV), the Aurat Foundation, under its USAID-funded Gender Equity Programme (GEP), launched Pakistan’s first 3-D animated series for children ‘Mein Aur Mere Dost’ here on Monday.
The series features a team of three young middle school detectives investigating a troubled fellow student who is displaying behaviour associated with victims of gender discrimination and violence. The plot revolves around the young detectives rescuing the trouble student from her dilemma and continues as she joins the group to help them tackle various gender-related dilemmas. The animation will be aired soon on major mainstream and regional channels.
The cartoon series is aimed at challenging the discriminatory stereotypes and help counter explicit and implicit messages about female status, patriarchal norms, inhumane social practices and violence against women fostered through culture and reinforced through media. Additionally, it will project a constructive image of women, promote equality among genders, challenge the underpinning social taboos and stimulate children to probe elders about the existing contradictions in social practices.
In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, gender based violence is invariably manifested through customary practices. Nearly 1,000 women are killed in the name of honour every year, with more than 400 cases of acid related attacks reported annually and an average of 314 rape cases reported every month. Countless cases of domestic violence occur and almost 80 to 90 per cent of women face some sort of harassment in their lifetime. In spite of overwhelmingly negative impact, these practices are passed on and reinforced as accepted behaviour, which becomes further entrenched in each subsequent generation.
The Urdu-language series, called ‘Mein Aur Mere Dost’ (Me and My Friends), is the first animated cartoon produced in Pakistan by Creative Village using 3D technology. Designed to educate children about gender equity and advocate against gender-based violence, the 7-episode cartoon series counters gender stereotypes and sends constructive messages against gender-based violence.
Speaking on this occasion, US Deputy Chief of Mission, Ambassador Richard Hoagland, said that gender-based violence is not restricted to a specific region. “It is a global issue and one that presents enormous challenges to nations around the world. Not only women but society as a whole should work together to eliminate gender-based violence,” he said. “The United States believes that investing in women and girls is one of surest ways to achieve economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for Pakistani women - and men,” he said.
Through the work created by this programme, he said that a number of animators including four women had a unique opportunity to work with new and exciting technology introduced in Pakistan for the first time.
In her presentation about activities conducted under GEP, Chief of Party GEP Seemi Kamal said so far 97 sub-grants have been awarded under GEP whereas 32,628 women and 60,978 men have participated in 834 advocacy events organized to campaign against GBV across all districts of Pakistan down to the tehsil level. For women in Pakistan, Chief Operating Officer AF Naeem Mirza said that 3 D is deprivation, denial and discrimination.
He said that to curtail the impact and transition of gender-based violence through generations, it is very important that a targeted and focused effort be made to change behaviours. “Since children are far more impressionable as compared to adults, it becomes increasingly important to focus on them in order to achieve any significant and widespread change in attitudes and behaviours,” he said.
The event was attended by famous media personalities, civil society representatives and government officials but the most prominent were children from different public and private schools. Others who spoke on the occasion included technical editor of Mein or Mere, Dost Adnan Shakeel and Executive Director Creative Village Mustafa Husnain.
To educate children about gender equity and advocate against gender-based violence (GBV), the Aurat Foundation, under its USAID-funded Gender Equity Programme (GEP), launched Pakistan’s first 3-D animated series for children ‘Mein Aur Mere Dost’ here on Monday.
The series features a team of three young middle school detectives investigating a troubled fellow student who is displaying behaviour associated with victims of gender discrimination and violence. The plot revolves around the young detectives rescuing the trouble student from her dilemma and continues as she joins the group to help them tackle various gender-related dilemmas. The animation will be aired soon on major mainstream and regional channels.
The cartoon series is aimed at challenging the discriminatory stereotypes and help counter explicit and implicit messages about female status, patriarchal norms, inhumane social practices and violence against women fostered through culture and reinforced through media. Additionally, it will project a constructive image of women, promote equality among genders, challenge the underpinning social taboos and stimulate children to probe elders about the existing contradictions in social practices.
In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, gender based violence is invariably manifested through customary practices. Nearly 1,000 women are killed in the name of honour every year, with more than 400 cases of acid related attacks reported annually and an average of 314 rape cases reported every month. Countless cases of domestic violence occur and almost 80 to 90 per cent of women face some sort of harassment in their lifetime. In spite of overwhelmingly negative impact, these practices are passed on and reinforced as accepted behaviour, which becomes further entrenched in each subsequent generation.
The Urdu-language series, called ‘Mein Aur Mere Dost’ (Me and My Friends), is the first animated cartoon produced in Pakistan by Creative Village using 3D technology. Designed to educate children about gender equity and advocate against gender-based violence, the 7-episode cartoon series counters gender stereotypes and sends constructive messages against gender-based violence.
Speaking on this occasion, US Deputy Chief of Mission, Ambassador Richard Hoagland, said that gender-based violence is not restricted to a specific region. “It is a global issue and one that presents enormous challenges to nations around the world. Not only women but society as a whole should work together to eliminate gender-based violence,” he said. “The United States believes that investing in women and girls is one of surest ways to achieve economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for Pakistani women - and men,” he said.
Through the work created by this programme, he said that a number of animators including four women had a unique opportunity to work with new and exciting technology introduced in Pakistan for the first time.
In her presentation about activities conducted under GEP, Chief of Party GEP Seemi Kamal said so far 97 sub-grants have been awarded under GEP whereas 32,628 women and 60,978 men have participated in 834 advocacy events organized to campaign against GBV across all districts of Pakistan down to the tehsil level. For women in Pakistan, Chief Operating Officer AF Naeem Mirza said that 3 D is deprivation, denial and discrimination.
He said that to curtail the impact and transition of gender-based violence through generations, it is very important that a targeted and focused effort be made to change behaviours. “Since children are far more impressionable as compared to adults, it becomes increasingly important to focus on them in order to achieve any significant and widespread change in attitudes and behaviours,” he said.
The event was attended by famous media personalities, civil society representatives and government officials but the most prominent were children from different public and private schools. Others who spoke on the occasion included technical editor of Mein or Mere, Dost Adnan Shakeel and Executive Director Creative Village Mustafa Husnain.
Posted in: Islamabad
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