CHITRAL: Key community stakeholders representing different walks of life were imparted awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) and how to combat this in a district like Chitral, where this social problem is rampant.

The two-day training session was organised by Legal Awareness Programme for Human Rights (LAPH).

Financially supported by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, the event brought together the diverse group of participants representing the human rights monitoring committee, youth forums, local educational institutions, media organisations, seminaries, police department and other civil society bodies.

The sessions were designed to tackle the complex issue of GBV with a particular focus on empowering communities to take proactive and preventative measures apart from providing an in-depth knowledge about various forms of the issue.

Training session held for stakeholders to help combat social problem in Chitral

The participants explored the socio-cultural factors contributing to GBV in Chitral, and developed strategies to prevent it, while facilitators emphasised the importance of building resilience within communities, empowering local leaders, and creating support systems that can respond effectively to instances of violence.

The social media platforms were termed the new vehicles of GBV, which had pervaded the society, and women and children were particularly vulnerable to exploitation by the elements harbouring negative thinking.

Addressing the concluding session, LAPH programme manager Qazi Irfan said that through such initiatives, the organisation was working toward a future where GBV was not tolerated and communities were equipped with the knowledge and tools to actively combat it.

He said that training had been an essential step in this long journey, providing the foundation for sustainable change and promoting a more equitable society in Chitral and beyond.

Educationist Zuhran Shah said the training session helped the participants know the repercussions of GBV on the people.

He said that the exhaustive discourse on the misuse of social media platforms was really an eye-opener for the partakers, who did not perceive the gravity of the issue and how it had led to the desperate act of a number of suicides over the past many years.

He hailed LAPH for forming and organising the special committee on GBV consisting of all stakeholders, who were contributing towards the solution of the social problem.

ICE HOCKEY: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be represented by two teams from Chitral at the National Ice Hockey Championship to be held in Naltar valley of Gilgit-Baltistan next week.

The players of the two teams – KP-Wolves (men) and KP-Doves (women) – left for the venue here on Sunday headed by coach and patron Asif Iqbal.

The two teams had qualified for the national event by emerging as winner and runner-ups in the ice hockey tourney held in Shandur ground in December. It was arranged by KP Culture and Tourism Authority.

One of the teams had participated in the national event in GB last year and had reached the semi-finals.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2025