Marvi Sirmed is a
Pakistani
Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
political commentator, journalist, and human rights activist. She is a
social democrat
Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
.
Early life and education
Marvi Sirmed was born in
Sialkot
Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...
, Punjab, Pakistan on 11 June 1970.
Her paternal family was agriculturist from Bhawalpur.
Her father, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, was Directorate General of Public Relations Punjab until 2003. In her childhood she accompanied her mother in women's protests.
Before entering teaching and journalism careers she was a sciences student.
She was a
pre-med student and obtained her master's degree in science and education from the
University of Punjab
The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South Asia; being the oldest and largest publ ...
and taught at secondary schools in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
.
Career
Sirmed is a social democrat, advocating for secular polity and minority rights in Pakistan.
She has advocated for improved
domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
legislation and governmental
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...
.
In 1990s, Sirmed started getting involved in NGO activities along with her journalistic activities.
In 2001–2002 she joined the Aurat Foundation's Legislative Watch Programme.
In 2004, she worked for The
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
in Pakistan, and simultaneously with the
National Commission on the Status of Women
National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) () is a Pakistani statutory body established by the President Pervez Musharraf, under the XXVI Ordinance dated 17 July 2000. It is an outcome of the national and international commitments of the Governm ...
, Federal Ministry of Women's Development, and the
Parliament of Pakistan
The Parliament of Pakistan is the supreme Legislature, legislative body of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is a bicameralism, bicameral federation, federal legislature, composed of the President of Pakistan and two houses: the Senate of ...
.
Marvi Sirmed received the National Human Rights Award of the government of Pakistan in 2010 and Friend of the Parliament Award in 2012.
Sirmed was a member of the executive council of the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP; ) is an independent, democratic non-profit organisation. Founded in 1987, it is one of the oldest human rights organisations in the country.
HRCP is committed to monitoring, protecting and prom ...
and serves as board chair of Bytes for All.
She is fellow at
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...
.
She has been a freelance journalist since 2016.
Advocacy and controversies
As an outspoken advocate for human rights and secular democracy, Sirmed has attracted controversy among conservatives. In November 2007 she was arrested when she protested the
2007 emergency declared in Pakistan by then military dictator
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008.
Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...
.
When the United States Embassy in Pakistan invited LGBT people to an event, Sirmed's defense of their decision was met with attacks on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
.
In another televised debate broadcast on YouTube, Sirmed again spoke in defense of LGBT rights, leading her to be threatened with both death and sexual violence.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) is a New York–based non-profit organization that functions globally. The organization is supported by Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
Background
The Coalition For Women In Journalism, also known a ...
(CFWIJ) condemned an online harassment and misinformation campaign targeting Sirmed.
CFWIJ Founding Director Kiran Nazish complained that the amount of propaganda and harassment of women journalists in Pakistan was unprecedented, with many inciting violence against women journalists in general and Sirmed in particular.
Senior journalist member of CFWIJ, Beena Sarwar, said that while social media can be put to good use, it is being misused for negative purposes that violate fundamental rights and human dignity.
In 2016, Sirmed appeared on a live television debate with conservative Islamic scholar and parliamentarian
Hafiz Hamdullah. Their argument escalated, leading Hamdullah to threaten her. Later when Hamdullah's citizenship was challenged, she publicly supported him on the issue to criticize officials who saw a problem only with his citizenship and not with his other behavior.
On 3 March 2020, during live TV debates on Neo News, Sirmed interrupted
Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar
Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar () is a Pakistani screenwriter, director, Urdu poet, lyricist and occasional actor and producer known for writing such dramas as '' Pyarey Afzal'' (2013), '' Sadqay Tumhare'' (2014) and most recently the top-rated '' Mer ...
with the chant "
Mera Jism Meri Marzi
(; ) is a slogan used by feminists in Pakistan to demand bodily autonomy and protest gender-based violence.
The slogan was popularized during the Aurat March in Pakistan, which has been observed on International Women's Day since 2018.
Origin ...
" ("My Body My Choice"). Qamar called the slogan shameful and made derogatory misogynist remarks about her and shamed her body which led to criticism and boycott of him by media fraternity.
Sirmed explained her position in interviews given to Daud Khattak and DW.com. When asked whether "
my body my choice" was priority for women of non-elite social classes, and whether "my life" might be better wording than "my body," Sirmed retorted that "my body, my choice" is an issue relevant to Pakistani women across all classes, and that '“My body, my choice” means that no society can wage their wars at the expense of a woman's body. We ask the men not to use our bodies for their ''ghairat'' or honor. We ask them to stop killing us in the name of honor and give us the right to say no because we have the right to say no to anything that we don't feel comfortable with. We must have the right to say that we can't tolerate sexual harassment and to say no to decisions regarding our marriages by other
amily members Our religion gives us the right to choose our life partner, so why not society?"
Attacks
In 2012
and again in 2018,
she was shot at by unidentified gunmen and escaped unhurt. Her home has three times been ransacked, with passports and documents being taken.
Personal life
She is married to journalist Sirmed Manzoor.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirmed, Marvi
Pakistani women journalists
Pakistani human rights activists
Pakistani feminists
Living people
1970 births
People from Sialkot
20th-century Pakistani women writers
21st-century Pakistani women writers
20th-century journalists
21st-century journalists
21st-century women journalists
Pakistani women activists
Pakistani political commentators