I'm here to tell you how change is happening at a local level in Pakistan, because women are finding their place in the political process.
Ovde sam da bih vam govorila o tome kako se promene dešavaju na lokalnom nivou u Pakistanu, jer žene pronalaze svoje mesto u političkom procesu.
I want to take you all on a journey to the place I was raised, northwest Pakistan, called Dir. Dir was founded in the 17th century. It was a princely state until its merger with Pakistan in 1969. Our prince, Nawab Shah Jahan, reserved the right to wear white, the color of honor, but only for himself. He didn't believe in educating his people. And at the time of my birth in 1979, only five percent of boys and one percent of girls received any schooling at all. I was one among that one percent.
Htela bih da vas povedem na put do mesta u kome sam odrasla u severozapadnom Pakistanu, zvanom Dir. Dir je osnovan u 17. veku. Bio je kneževska država sve do spajanja sa Pakistanom 1969. godine. Naš knez, Navab Šah Džahan, zadržao je pravo da nosi belo, boju časti, ali samo za sebe. Nije verovao u obrazovanje svog naroda. U vreme mog rođenja 1979. godine, samo pet procenata dečaka i jedan procenat devojčica je išlo u bilo kakvu školu. Ja sam bila obuhvaćena tim jednim procentom.
Growing up, I was very close to my father. He is a pharmacy doctor, and he sent me to school. Every day, I would go to his clinic when my lessons finished. He's a wonderful man and a well-respected community leader. He was leading a welfare organization, and I would go with him to the social and political gatherings to listen and talk to the local men about our social and economic problems.
Kroz odrastanje sam bila veoma bliska sa svojim ocem. On je doktor farmacije i poslao me je u školu. Svakog dana bih išla u njegovu kliniku kada bih završila sa lekcijama. On je divan čovek i ugledan vođa zajednice. Vodio je socijalnu organizaciju, a ja bih išla s njim na društvena i politička okupljanja da slušam i pričam sa lokalnim muškarcima o našim socijalnim i ekonomskim problemima.
However, when I was 16, my father asked me to stop coming with him to the public gatherings. Now, I was a young woman, and my place was in the home. I was very upset. But most of my family members, they were happy with this decision. It was very difficult for me to sit back in the home and not be involved.
Međutim, kada sam napunila 16 godina, otac me je zamolio da prestanem da dolazim sa njim na javne skupove. Kao devojci, moje mesto je bilo kod kuće. Bila sam vrlo uznemirena. Ali većina mojih članova porodice je bila zadovoljna odlukom. Za mene je bilo vrlo teško da sedim kod kuće i ne uključujem se.
It took two years that finally my family agreed that my father could reconnect me with women and girls, so they could share their problems and together we could resolve them. So, with his blessings, I started to reconnect with women and girls so we could resolve their problems together.
Prošle su dve godine dok se moja porodica konačno nije složila da otac treba da me ponovo poveže sa ženama i devojkama, tako da one mogu da iznesu svoje probleme da bismo ih zajedno rešile. Tako sam, uz njegov blagoslov, počela da se ponovo povezujem sa ženama i devojkama kako bismo zajedno rešile njihove probleme.
When women show up, they bring their realities and views with them. And yet, I have found all too often, women underestimate their own strength, their potential and their self-respect. However, while connecting with these women and girls, it became very clear to me that if there was to be any hope to create a better life for these women and girls and their families, we must stand up for our own rights -- and not wait for someone else to come and help us.
Kada se žene pojave, sa sobom ponesu svoju stvarnost i gledišta. A ipak, previše često bih otkrila da žene potcenjuju svoju snagu, svoj potencijal i samopoštovanje. Međutim, dok sam se povezivala sa ovim ženama i devojkama, postalo mi je vrlo jasno da, kako bi uopšte bilo nade u bolji život za ove žene, devojke i njihove porodice, moramo ustati u odbranu svojih prava, a ne čekati da neko drugi dođe i pomogne nam.
So I took a huge leap of faith and founded my own organization in '94 to create our very own platform for women empowerment. I engaged many women and girls to work with me. It was hard. Many of the women working with me had to leave once they got married, because their husbands wouldn't let them work. One colleague of mine was given away by her family to make amends for a crime her brother had committed. I couldn't help her. And I felt so helpless at that time. But it made me more determined to continue my struggle. I saw many practices like these, where these women suffered silently, bearing this brutality. But when I see a woman struggling to change her situation instead of giving up, it motivates me.
Tako sam učinila ogroman korak u nepoznato i osnovala svoju organizacju 1994. godine kako bih stvorila našu platformu za osnaživanje žena. Pokrenula sam mnoge žene i devojke da rade sa mnom. Bilo je teško. Mnoge žene koje su radile sa mnom morale su da odu kada su se udale jer im muževi nisu dozvolili da rade. Jednu moju koleginicu je porodica dala radi iskupljenja za zločin koji je počinio njen brat. Nisam mogla da joj pomognem. Osećala sam se tako bespomoćno u to vreme. Ali zbog toga sam postala još odlučnija da nastavim borbu. Videla sam mnogo takvih običaja, gde su žene tiho patile i trpele brutalnost. Ali, kada vidim ženu koja se bori da promeni svoju situaciju umesto da odustane, to me motiviše.
So I ran for a public office as an independent candidate in Lower Dir in the local elections in 2001. Despite all the challenges and hurdles I faced throughout this process, I won.
Zato sam se kandidovala za javnu funkciju kao nezavisni kandidat u Donjem Diru na lokalnim izborima 2001. godine. Uprkos svim izazovima i preprekama sa kojima sam se suočila tokom ovog procesa, pobedila sam.
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And I served in the public office for six years. But unfortunately, we women, elected women, we were not allowed to sit in the council together with all the members and to take part in the proceedings. We had to sit in a separate, ladies-only room, not even aware what was happening in the council. Men told me that, "You women, elected women members, should buy sewing machines for women." When I knew what they needed the most was access to clean drinking water. So I did everything I could do to prioritize the real challenges these women faced. I set up five hand pumps in the two dried up wells in my locality. Well, we got them working again. Before long, we made water accessible for over 5,000 families. We proved that anything the men could do, so could we women. I built alliances with other elected women members, and last year, we women were allowed to sit together with all the members in the council.
Bila sam na javnoj funkciji šest godina. Ali, nažalost, nama, ženama, izglasanim ženama, nije dozvoljeno da sedimo u savetu zajedno sa ostalim članovima i učestvujemo u procedurama. Morale smo da sedimo u odvojenoj, ženskoj sobi, bez saznanja o tome šta se dešava u savetu. Muškarci su mi govorili: „Vi, žene, izglasane članice, treba da kupite ženama mašine za šivenje.“ A znala sam da im najviše treba pristup čistoj pijaćoj vodi. Radila sam sve što sam mogla radi davanja prioriteta stvarnim izazovima sa kojima se ove žene suočavaju. Postavila sam pet ručnih pumpi u dva isušena bunara u mom kraju. Uspeli smo u tome da ponovo prorade. Ubrzo smo učinili vodu dostupnom za više od 5 000 porodica. Dokazali smo da sve što mogu muškarci, mogu i žene. Sklopila sam saveze sa drugim izabranim članicama, i prošle godine je nama, ženama, dozvoljeno da sedimo sa ostalim članovima saveta.
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And to take part in the legislation and planning and budgeting, in all the decisions. I saw there is strength in numbers. You know yourselves. Lack of representation means no one is fighting for you. Pakistan is -- We're 8,000 miles away from where I'm here with you today. But I hope what I'm about to tell you will resonate with you, though we have this big distance in miles and in our cultures.
I da učestvujemo u zakonodavstvu, planiranju i određivanju budžeta, u svim odlukama. Videla sam da postoji snaga u brojčanosti. Poznajete sebe. Manjak zastupljenosti znači da se niko ne bori za vas. Pakistan je - Mi smo 13 000 km udaljeni od mesta na kome sam danas sa vama. Ali nadam se da ćete razumeti ono što ću vam reći, iako je među nama tako velika udaljenost, prostorna i kulturološka.
When women show up, they bring the realities and hopes of half a population with them. In 2007, we saw the rise of the Taliban in Swat, Dir and nearby districts. It was horrifying. The Taliban killed innocent people. Almost every day, people collected the dead bodies of their loved ones from the streets. Most of the social and political leaders struggling and working for the betterment of their communities were threatened and targeted. Even I had to leave, leaving my children behind with my in-laws. I closed my office in Dir and relocated to Peshawar, the capital of my province. I was in trauma, kept thinking what to do next. And most of the family members and friends were suggesting, "Shad, stop working. The threat is very serious." But I persisted.
Kada se žene pojave, one sa sobom donesu stvarnost i nadanja polovine populacije. Godine 2007, videli smo uspon Talibana u Svatu, Diru i obližnjim okruzima. Bilo je užasno. Talibani su ubijali nedužne ljude. Skoro svakog dana, ljudi su sa ulice sakupljali mrtva tela svojih najmilijih. Većini društvenih i političkih lidera, boraca za dobrobit svojih zajednica, pretili su i držali su ih na nišanu. Čak sam i ja morala da odem i ostavim decu sa muževljevom porodicom. Zatvorila sam kancelariju u Diru i preselila je u Pešavar, glavni grad moje pokrajine. Bila sam istraumirana i stalno se pitala šta da radim. Većina članova porodice i prijatelja mi je govorila: „Šad, prestani da radiš. Pretnja je vrlo ozbiljna.“ Ali, istrajala sam.
In 2009, we experienced a historic influx of internally displaced persons, from Swat, Dir and other nearby districts. I started visiting the camps almost every day, until the internally displaced persons started to go back to their place of origin. I established four mother-child health care units, especially to take care of over 10,000 women and children nearby the camps. But you know, during all these visits, I observed that there was very little attention towards women's needs. And I was looking for what is the reason behind it. And I found it was because of the underrepresentation of women in both social and political platforms, in our society as a whole. And that was the time when I realized that I need to narrow down my focus on building and strengthening women's political leadership to increase their political representation, so they would have their own voice in their future.
Godine 2009. smo doživeli istorijski priliv interno raseljenih lica iz Svata, Dira i drugih obližnjih okruga. Počela sam da posećujem kampove skoro svaki dan, sve dok interno raseljena lica nisu počela da se vraćaju odakle su potekli. Osnovala sam četiri jedinice za zdravstvenu zaštitu majke i dece, naročito da bih se pobrinula za više od 10 000 žena i dece u blizini kampova. Ali, znate, tokom svih tih poseta, primetila sam da se nije mnogo pažnje obraćalo na potrebe žena. Tražila sam razlog tome. Otkrila sam da je to zbog nedovoljne zastupljenosti žena na društvenim i političkim platformama, kao i u našem društvu u celini. I tada sam shvatila da treba da suzim fokus na izgradnju i jačanje političkog rukovodstva žena kako bih povećala njihovu političku zastupljenost, da bi mogle da izraze svoje mišljenje u budućnosti.
So we started training around 300 potential women and youth for the upcoming local elections in 2015. And you know what? Fifty percent of them won.
Zato smo počeli sa obukom oko 300 potencijalnih žena i mladih za predstojeće lokalne izbore 2015. godine. I znate šta? Pedeset posto njih je pobedilo.
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And they are now sitting in the councils, taking part actively in the legislation, planning and budgeting. Most of them are now investing their funds on women's health, education, skill development and safe drinking water. All these elected women now share, discuss and resolve their problems together.
Sada sede u savetima i aktivno učestvuju u zakonodavstvu, planiranju i određivanju budžeta. Većina njih sada ulaže svoja sredstva u zdravlje žena, obrazovanje, razvoj veština i pitku vodu. Danas sve te izglasane žene iznose, razmatraju i rešavaju svoje probleme zajedno.
Let me tell you about two of the women I have been working with: Saira Shams. You can see, this young lady, age 26, she ran for a public office in 2015 in Lower Dir, and she won. She completed two of the community infrastructure schemes. You know, women, community infrastructure schemes ... Some people think this is men's job. But no, this is women's job, too, we can do it. And she also fixed two of the roads leading towards girls schools, knowing that without access to these schools, they are useless to the girls of Dir.
Da vam ispričam o dvema ženama sa kojima sam radila. Sajra Šams. Vidite, ova mlada dama, stara 26 godina, kandidovala se za javnu funkciju 2015. godine u Donjem Diru i pobedila. Završila je dve šeme infrastrukture u zajednici. Znate, žene, šeme infrastrukture u zajednici... Neki misle da je to muški posao. Ne, to je i ženski posao; mi to možemo. Takođe je popravila dva puta koja vode ka školama za devojčice, znajući da su, bez pristupa ovim školama, one beskorisne za devojčice iz Dira.
And another young woman is Asma Gul. She is a very active member of the young leaders forum we established. She was unable to run for the public office, so she has become the first female journalist of our region. She speaks and writes for women's and girls' issues and their rights. Saira and Asma, they are the living examples of the importance of inclusion and representation.
Druga mlada dama je Asma Gul. Ona je veoma aktivna članica foruma mladih lidera koji smo osnovali. Nije mogla da se kandiduje za javnu funkciju, pa je postala prva novinarka naše regije. Govori i piše o problemima i pravima žena i devojčica. Sajra i Asma su živi dokazi koji govore o značaju uključenosti i zastupljenosti.
Let me tell you this, too. In the 2013 general elections in Pakistan and the local elections in 2015, there were less than 100 women voters in Dir. But you know what? I'm proud to tell you that this year, during the general elections, there were 93,000 women voters in Dir.
Reći ću vam i ovo. Na opštim izborima u Pakistanu 2013. godine i na lokalnim izborima 2015. godine, u Diru je bilo manje od 100 ženskih glasača. Ali, znate šta? Sa ponosom vam mogu reći da je ove godine, na opštim izborima, bilo 93 000 žena glasača u Diru.
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So our struggle is far from over. But this shift is historic. And a sign that women are standing up, showing up and making it absolutely clear that we all must invest in building women's leadership. In Pakistan and here in the United States, and everywhere in the world, this means women in politics, women in business and women in positions of power making important decisions.
Naša borba je daleko od kraja. Ali ovo je istorijska promena. To je znak da žene ustaju, istupaju i jasno naglašavaju da svi moramo da ulažemo u izgradnju liderstva žena. U Pakistanu, ovde u Sjedinjenim Državama i svuda u svetu, to podrazumeva žene u politici, žene u poslovnom svetu i žene na položajima moći na kojima donose važne odluke.
It took me 23 years to get here. But I don't want any girl or any woman to take 23 years of her life to make herself heard. I have had some dark days. But I have spent every waking moment of my life working for the right of every woman to live her full potential.
Meni je trebalo 23 godine da stignem dovde. Ali ne želim da nijednoj devojci ili ženi treba 23 godine života da bi je saslušali. Proživela sam neke mračne dane. Ali provela sam svaki svoj trenutak na javi boreći se za pravo svih žena da ostvare svoj pun potencijal.
Imagine with me a world where thousands of us stand up and they support other young women together, creating opportunities and choices that benefit all. And that, my friends, can change the world.
Zamislite sa mnom svet u kome hiljade nas ustanemo i zajedno podržimo druge mlade žene i time stvorimo prilike i mogućnosti koje koriste svima. A to, prijatelji moji, može promeniti svet.
Thank you.
Hvala.
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