A nun in Pakistan’s National Commission on the Status of Women
Appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Sr Maryam Parween has been defending women's rights for many years. Under her leadership, the Catholic's Women Organisation in Pakistan has raised awareness on issues such as gender-based violence, forced conversions, and child marriage. For activist Kashif Aslam, she is an “invaluable asset to both the Catholic Church and the community.”
Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Pakistan's Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Sister Maryam Parween (Genevieve Ram Lal) to the National Commission on the Status of Women for a three-year term.
The 66-year-old belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, and plays a leading role in Pakistan’s Catholic community. She has been the national director of the Catholic Women's Organisation (CWO) since 2012 and has led initiatives to support women's education, empowerment, and well-being across the country.
“Sister Maryam has been an invaluable asset to both the Catholic Church and the community,” said Kashif Aslam, a human rights activist, speaking to AsiaNews on her appointment. “Her remarkable work and services for women's rights, especially for Christian women, have spanned over two decades and continue to this day.”
Under her oversight, the CWO is working to raise awareness among women and girls on various issues, including gender-based violence, forced conversions, child marriage, and general human rights issues.
“Sr Maryam stood firm in her stance, raising her voice for the rule of law. As a woman, she stood with labourers, chanted for peace, and acted as a defender of human rights, opposing war and injustice,” said Aslam, who argues that the appointment to the NCSW will bring greater wisdom and meaningful representation for minority women.
“We welcome this decision and are hopeful that the commission will fulfil its mandate as a true and meaningful statutory body.”
For Fr Khalid Rashid Asi, who worked with Sr Maryam for many years, “She is experienced; she knows culture and religion very well. I truly believe she will do her best efforts for the promotion of women’s rights in the country because she has been working with different women’s groups for a long while. She has a vast experience working with women and she knows their problems.”
Fr Asi also responded to some critics regarding her appointment since Sr Maryam, as a woman religious, is unmarried.
The “points raised by them are baseless because they do not know about the work she has done during her life for the uplift of women and marginalised sections of the society.
“If a person is not married, it does not mean that he or she cannot work for married people; a judge in the court is not a thief or criminal but it is his duty to make decisions against such crimes. It depends all on his experience and education.”
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