ISLAMABAD, Monday, January 22, 2024: Teams for the final matches of girl Futsal tournament arrived in Islamabad on Monday. The tournament is organised by National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) as part of Commission’s unique four-month long initiative “Empower Her,” aimed at promoting girls’ participation in sports in Pakistan.
Teams from Karachi, Quetta and Chitral will participate in the final matches on January 24, 2024, to be held at the Outdoor Football Ground, Pakistan Sports Complex. Besides practice matches, the teams will also attend talks on physical wellbeing and mental health of athletes by Schlumberger Pakistan, health and Wellness Team.
The final Futsal tournament is the culmination of “Empower Her,” a campaign supported by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, and included training camps, tournaments, mentoring sessions, panel discussions and a final exhibition match in Islamabad. Bank AL-Habib also joined the campaign by supporting Quetta’s Hazara Women United football team.
‘Empower Her’ campaign was designed to tackle the challenges that hinder girls and women from participating in sports, particularly in football, in Pakistan. Despite significant progress in various fields, girls and women in Pakistan still encounter numerous barriers to access and participate in sports.
These challenges include limited sports infrastructure, inadequate funding, deeply ingrained societal stereotypes and gender biases, a shortage of training and developmental opportunities, and a dearth of female representation at all levels of the sport.
The campaign aims to redress these disparities by establishing a supportive and inclusive sports ecosystem that empowers women and girls to actively participate, compete, and excel in football. The project will initially focus on four cities in Pakistan: Karachi, Quetta, Chitral, and Islamabad.
To achieve these goals, the NCHR has collaborated with local implementing partners deeply embedded within the beneficiary communities including Karishma Ali Foundation in Chitral, Hazara United Football Club, Quetta, and Karachi United Foundation, in Karachi.
While talking about the campaign, Chairperson NCHR Rabiya Javeri Agha said that promoting women in sports is not just about scoring goals on the field; it’s about breaking barriers, shattering stereotypes, and championing equality. “When we empower women in sports, we empower society to strive for fairness and inclusivity,” she said.
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