Lahore, 4 May: Oxford University Press (OUP) organized a discussion around its new publication Women, Healthcare, and Violence in Pakistan written by Sara Rizvi Jafree. Seeking to explore the plight of female healthcare practitioners in the country, this book examines the South Asian cultural approach towards the traditional and historical working woman, particularly the healthcare professional. It describes the laws that protect or harm such women in the workplace, and the real perils of physical and verbal harassment that they face during their service. Imbued with deep insights into the role of women in Islam, their socialization and the threats to healthcare professionals like nurses, doctors, and lady health workers, this book presents anecdotes based on ethnographic research and factual knowledge which makes it an impressive resource for understanding this social issue.
Sara Rizvi Jafree is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the Forman Christian College (FCC), Lahore. She has published multiple articles concerning women and healthcare in Pakistan including ‘Ethical Violations in the Clinical Setting: The Hidden Curriculum Learning Experience of Pakistani Nurses’ and ‘Maternal Employment in Pakistan: Socio-demographic Shortfalls and Association with Birth Weight’.
The event featured an invigorating discussion between the author and the speakers Neelam Hussain, Director, Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre; Shahmila Ijaz Munir, Associate Professor, Hameed Latif Hospital and Fatima Jinnah Medical University; and Masha Asad Khan, Associate Professor, Kinnaird College for Women. The discussion which was moderated by the academic, Aisha Amir Ahmed, highlighted how the book successfully paints a panorama on the theme of workplace harassment, an important factor in the current discourse in Pakistan on this issue.
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