Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide – GCU Lahore

A Critical Thinking Circle session based on the book “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” written by Nicholas d. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn was conducted with the students of Governemnt College University (GCU) Lahore on November 16th, 2022 which is marked as the International Tolerance day. The session was moderated by Ms. Sumera Khalil, incharge at GCU Women Development Centre. The duration of the session was 90 minutes. It was attended by 22 students. The session started with a review of the book. The author’s take on gender-based violence against women around the world was discussed.

Ms. Fareeha and Ms. Laima, Professors at GCU, discussed twenty-first-century slavery, the prohibition of prostitution, critical thinking to end gender-based violence, and the importance of speaking up. Ms. Sajjal Fatima, one of the participants, discussed her favorite chapter in the book i.e. Rule of Rape. She shared how this chapter had managed to change her victim mindset into a survivor mindset. 

Statistical analysis of the percentage ratio of women still facing violence and inequality in third-world countries was also an integral part of this CTC session. 

The session inspired all the participants to offer their time, money, or political advocacy to make gender equity their top global priority. The staff at GCU Women Development Centre applauded the efforts of Shaoor Foundation for Education and Awareness (SFEA) in organizing this thought-provoking session.