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Pakistan Hadiqa Bashir, a Pakistani activist, has dedicated her work to ending child marriages and advocating for women's and girls' rights in Pakistan, earning international recognition for her efforts.
Founder and Executive Director of the organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Girls Rights in the Tribal Regions of Pakistan, especially in Khyber PakhtunKhwa.
Volunteered at the organization.
Volunteered at the organization.
Serves on the volunteer board of Directors.
Recognized as a Young Leader by the Women Deliver organization.
An ambassador for population matters, advocating as a feminist activist.
A 2024 Fellow, partnering through creative collaborations to advance her mission.
Hadiqa Bashir was born in 2002 in Swat Valley, Saidu Sharif, in the KPK province of Pakistan’s Tribal Belt. Her upbringing in a patriarchal society motivated her to address the issue of early and forced marriages. At age 10, she resisted an arranged marriage, aided by her uncle, Erfaan Hussein. This personal experience spurred her activism. In 2014, at the age of 12, she co-founded Girls United for Human Rights, an organization focused on protecting and promoting girls’ rights in Pakistan, particularly in the Khyber PakhtunKhwa region. Through this organization, she has worked to educate her community about the negative impacts of child marriages on mental and physical health. She achieves this by engaging legislators, religious leaders, and conducting awareness sessions in local schools and communities. Her work also extends to supporting women facing domestic abuse through medical and legal aid, and advocating for women’s economic empowerment via skill development, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, transgender rights, and the creation of safe and sustainable cities for women and girls.
Hadiqa Bashir has achieved significant milestones in her career. In 2015, she received the Muhammad Ali International Humanitarian Award for dedicating her life to ending child marriages in Pakistan. The following year, 2016, she became the first Pakistani girl to be awarded the Asian Girls Human Rights Ambassador award. She was also a two-time Children’s Peace Prize Nominee in 2016 and 2017. Her commitment to human rights was further acknowledged with the With and For Girls Award in 2018-19 and being a Commonwealth Youth Award Finalist in 2017. She is recognized as a Women Deliver Young Leader and an Asian Girls Ambassador. Hadiqa has volunteered with A Society for Women’s Rights and Hwendo Jirga, and serves on the volunteer board of Directors at EveAlliance. Her sustained efforts have led to recognition such as an honorary award from the Honorable Chairman Senate of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a Global Citizen Youth Leader Award, and a fellowship with Women Have Wings in 2024. Currently, at 22 years old, Bashir continues her work with Girls United for Human Rights, championing education, sexual and reproductive health rights, climate action, and legal aid for vulnerable communities, aiming to transform societal views on women’s rights and marriage.
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