Pakistan is a country facing massive problems such as poverty, illiteracy, health issues, terrorism and the worst of all, violence. Though violence on the whole is a terrible problem, violence against women has no cultural or class limitations. No woman is protected from this problem that is spreading in our country like an epidemic. Women in Pakistan face staggeringly high rates of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. In 2008, a total number of 7,571 incidents of violence against women were reported in Pakistan, out of which 4,416 cases occurred in the Punjab, 1,380 in Sindh, 799 in the NWFP, 767 in Balochistan and 209 in Islamabad while nobody knows how many such incidents go unnoticed and unreported. Approximately, 70-90% of women experience spousal abuse. The sad aspect of this situation is that the attackers largely go unpunished due to our highly incompetent justice system. If we look at statistics, 80% cases of violence against women are pending in lower courts. It is shocking and nothing less than a nightmare.

A campaign was launched in Pakistan when a handful of people who were alarmed by the high statistics took the initiative to bring a change; the White Ribbon Campaign. The campaign is the largest international campaign of its kind where men work towards putting a stop to men's violence against women. Talking about the campaign, Omer Aftab, the Country Director of the White Ribbon Campaign, said, "The WRC has based its work on championing the rights of women who suffer from violence of any kind. These women mean more than statistics to us; they are real people who deserve to have their stories heard, to receive justice and respect."

Being the youth of our country, we have great responsibilities on our shoulders. I know it's very easy to write about such things, but tough and perhaps dangerous to do something to bring about the change. But if not the youth, who will do it? Bringing about change doesn't mean coming out on streets and remonstrate for amendments. The first step towards the right direction can be looking around ourselves, opening our eyes to such evils and speaking against it.

To incorporate the youth in this campaign, the WRC Pakistan has launched a program called 'Youth Leadership Program' for the future generation to come forward and take control before it's too late. It involves students in every aspect of the campaign and presently, more than 1000 students have connected themselves with WRC as volunteers. These students provide logistic support in organising various events and act as talking heads for the campaign and motivate others to join in. "We want to empower our youth to find a solution for ending the social evil of 'Violence Against Women'. The WRC-Pakistan encourages students to engage in dialogue that links root causes of VAW and community action," said Aftab. On asking what the WRC has done in collaboration with the youth so far, Aftab said, "The WRC held a seminar in collaboration with LUMS Community Services Society (LCCS). The students enthusiastically developed and conducted the event. The seminar was attended by a large crowd of young boys for whom it was an eye opener. Other than that, a special interactive play 'Maawaan Noo Na Satao' (Don't Bug Your Mothers) was performed at FC College on Mother's Day. Activities like these keep the youth involved and help our campaign in spreading awareness about this evil."

According to Aftab, Southern Punjab is very sensitive regarding the issue of violence against women. Hence a Youth Awareness Program was introduced in Multan, the biggest district of Southern Punjab. Two workshops were arranged separately for the faculty and students of various universities to enlighten them about the mission of WRC-Pakistan in that area.

I had the opportunity to talk to some of the young people who are closely related to WRC-Pakistan. When I asked Gohar Syed, a student of FC College what motivated him to be a part of this campaign, he replied, "I felt that it was the need of the hour to be a part of this campaign. I perceive it as a step towards the elimination of gender discrimination. I'm quite confident in asserting that it shall be a successful quest and this evil will be unplugged from our society provided such campaigns and youth's role continues."

Saad Masood Khan, former student of LUMS, who is also a part of this campaign remarks: "We live in a society where women are neglected and exploited. They face prejudice and abuse. The reasons are lack of education and ignorance about our religion, resulting in little or no respect for women. To be impertinent and maltreat someone who is physically feeble and delicate is NOT manliness. I strongly condemn such misconceptions and fight to correct this flaw in our society. I heard about WRC from a friend in 2006 and decided to volunteer for their awareness campaigns. We organised an All Lahore Arm Wrestling Competition in LUMS in 2008. Its purpose was to positively channel physical strength in healthy activities. Anything is possible with proper motivation and team effort. But I feel our youth is not motivated enough as today's youth lacks awareness on this issue's severity. If properly communicated, they will definitely play a constructive role. Our generation has the moral fiber to accept flaws and the intellect to come up with the right solution."