Women of Karachi

While the indigenous group was more motivated and committed to bringing overall change in their area of residence, a change that would benefit all women of the area, the migrant women were more interested in change for their individual selves. The more individual focus of interest of the migrant women was illustrated by their defensiveness in discussing and identifying causes of their behaviours. The CGBT experience that promoted collegial ties in the group of indigenous women had limited success in the group of migrant women, most of who remained absent while those who came showed liking for individual sessions with the therapist.

This research was part of the overall research of WEMC (Women’s Empowerment in Muslim Contexts) which was initiated in these sites. The women involved in the CBGT are part of the larger group of women who experienced the participatory exercises through which they reflected on their lives and related to government policies for women, health, population and development and so on.

They are also now part of the women’s organisations that came out of this process. The next phase will be to look out for possible leaders among these women. The research team is committed to working with these women for at least the next two years helping them to lobby the decision makers in their communities. The research team will also continue to find opportunities for the women to interact with larger women’s and human rights organisations.

The current study is a modest step towards finding new ways to address the larger issue of ethnic violence in Sindh. At the micro level, empowering women is a step towards knowing what role women could play in saying NO to all forms of violence.

Findings from the study will be shared with civil society groups, and specially those working on women’s rights and empowerment. While activism of civil society often does not engage with research activities, it is important to consider what these findings mean for women’s empowerment and for researchers undertaking action research The finding that a lack of belonging to a physical site could impede the possibility of collective action provides a criterion for selection of sites for those wanting to work on women’s empowerment as collective agents of change in their environment. The finding also poses a new research question: when a sense of belonging to a site is missing, what collective identity could lead migrant women to action?

While research could enhance understanding of what triggers action in groups of migrant women, donors committed to women’s empowerment could support and encourage work with women from indigenous communities.