UN Women Pakistan supported Summer Camp by Stars Women Sports Academy in Islamabad, where young girls from diverse backgrounds came together for the love of sports and to drive gender equality.
On 10 April, UN Women teamed up with Serena Hotels and hosted a match day to show how football is a powerful tool for social inclusion, gender equality and youth empowerment. Young women and girls from Pakistan’s National Football Team, Rawalpindi’s Young Rising Stars (YRS), and Ambassadors, Diplomats and UN dignitaries participated in the friendly matches.
Mr. Jamshed Kazi, Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan, who successfully scored one of the crucial penalty kicks for the winning team, said: “In Pakistan, one of the key challenges for women and girls in sports is the lack of safe public spaces making it difficult to find places to exercise or play without facing harassment or even worse. UN Women, through one of its initiatives to combat violence against women aims to create greater awareness and implementation of legislation and adoption of practices that ensure that women’s rights to safe spaces is safeguarded and that urban and local planning bodies take this into account. Sport creates confidence, a healthy lifestyle, team spirit and breaks down gender stereotypes of girls as being weak and physically inactive- investing in enabling opportunities for women and girls to participate in sports is investing in a healthier, equitable and more productive and harmonious nation”.
