Hina Jilani

File:Hina Jilani at Women Deliver - 2016 (27103429850) (cropped).jpg

Jilani speaking at Women Deliver in 2016.

Hina Jilani (Template:Langx؛ born 19 December 1953) is a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human rights advocate from Lahore, Punjab.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> She co-founded Pakistan's first all-women law firm, its first legal aid centre, and the Women's Action Forum.

Early life and education

Jilani was born and raised in Lahore Pakistan. After law graduation, she started practising law in 1979, while joining the law chamber of barrister Ijaz Hussain Batalvi, 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, its activities were confined to providing legal aid to women, but these activities gradually increased to include legal education, protection from exploitation, legal research, and counselling. She is also one of the founders of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan as well as the Women's Action Forum (WAF), an advocacy group established in 1980, to campaign against discriminatory legislation. Jilani also founded Pakistan's first legal aid centre in 1986.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to providing pro bono legal aid, she helped set up a women's shelter called Dastak in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition to managing the shelter, Dastak organises workshops to raise awareness for human rights and the protection of women.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Jilani is also affiliated with the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Carter Center, and the UN Conference on Women.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, the UK Foreign Office appointed her to a panel of experts to develop legal frameworks to protect freedom of the press across the globe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Roles at the United Nations

From 2000 to 2008, Jilani was the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders.<ref>"Meet the featured human rights defenders – Hina Jilani", Carter Center, February 2009.</ref> During that period, she was also appointed to the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur in 2006.

In 2009, Jilani was appointed to the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Threats

As a result of their women's activism, Jilani and her sister Asma Jahangir have been arrested, received death threats, and faced intimidation and public abuse. Murder attempts have been made on them as well as members of their family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1999, after working on the case of Samia Sarwar, Jilani and Jahangir were again subject to death threats. Sarwar's mother came with a gunman to her office on the pretext of seeking reconciliation with her daughter. The gunman shot Sarwar dead and fired at Jilani, who managed to escape.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On another occasion, gunmen entered her house and threatened members of her family. Jilani herself was away from home; the threats put pressure on her to migrate, but she continues to live and work in Lahore.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Recognition

• 2000 – Ginetta Sagan Award from Amnesty International<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2001 – Millennium Peace Prize for Women
• 2008 – Editor's Award for Outstanding Achievement by The Lawyer Awards<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2016 – Honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Articles

• Neither Peace Nor Justice for Newsline, 2 March 2009
• Shame on Who? for Newsline, 7 October 2005
• Profile in TIME

See also

• Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
• Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
• Asma Jahangir
• Asma Jahangir Conference