Hina Jilani

Hina Jilani (؛ born 19 December 1953) is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab. She is the founder of Pakistan’s first all-women law firm, Pakistan’s first legal aid center, and the Women’s Action Forum, an organization focused on campaigning for women’s rights and addressing Pakistan’s discriminatory laws.
Early life and education
Jilani was born and raised in Pakistan. She started practicing law in 1979, while Pakistan was under martial law.
Career
In February 1980, with her sister Asma Jahangir, Jilani co-founded Pakistan's first all-female legal aid practice, AGHS Legal Aid Cell (ALAC) in Lahore. Initially the activities were confined to providing legal aid to women, but gradually these activities increased to including legal awareness, education, protection from exploitation, legal research, counselling and providing legal assistance. She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) (a pressure group established in 1980 to campaign against discriminatory legislation). She also founded Pakistan's first legal aid center in 1986. In addition to providing pro bona legal aid, she has also helped set up a shelter for women fleeing violence and abuse, called Dastak in 1991. In addition to managing the shelter, Dastak also organise workshops to create awareness of human rights and the protection of women.
Jilani is also affiliated with the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Carter Center, and the UN Conference on Women. In 2019, the UK foreign office appointed the lawyer to a new panel of experts to develop legal frameworks to protect freedom of the media across the globe.
Other activities
Roles at the United Nations
From 2000 to 2008, Jilani was the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders. During that period, she was also appointed to the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur, Sudan, in 2006.
In 2009, Jilani was appointed to the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.
In 2017, Jilani co-chaired (alongside Tarja Halonen) the World Health Organization/Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights High-Level Working Group on the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents.
Threats
As a result of their work in the field of women's activism, Jilani and her sister Jahangir have been arrested, received death threats, and faced hostile propaganda, intimidation, and public abuse. Murder attempts have been made on them as well as members of their family. In 1999, after representing the case of Samia Sarwar, a young woman who was seeking divorce from her abusive husband, Jilani and Jahangir were again subject to death threats. Samia's mother came with a gunman to her office on the pretext of seeking reconciliation with her daughter. The gunman shot Samia dead and fired at Hina who managed to escape. On another occasion, gunmen entered her house and threatened members of her family. She herself was away from home; the threats put pressure on her to migrate, but she refused, and continues to live and work in Lahore.
Recognition
2000 – Ginetta Sagan Award of Amnesty International
2001 – Millennium Peace Prize for Women
2008 – Editor's Award for Outstanding Achievement by The Lawyer Awards
2016 – Trinity College Dublin awarded her with an honorary doctorate
See also
National Women's Day (Pakistan)
References
External links
Hina Jilani profile
Articles
Neither Peace Nor Justice By Hina Jilani for Newsline 2 March 2009
Shame on Who? By Hina Jilani for Newsline 7 October 2005
1953 births
Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore alumni
Lawyers from Lahore
Living people
Pakistani democracy activists
Pakistani human rights activists
Pakistani lawyers
Pakistani women lawyers
Pakistani women's rights activists
United Nations special rapporteurs
Pakistani women diplomats
Pakistani diplomats
Pakistani officials of the United Nations
Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations