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Over the past 5 years, Aurat Foundation has helped advance six major legal reforms in Pakistan on child marriage, inheritance, political participation, and domestic violence.
Aurat Foundation
Aurat Foundation
Islamabad
Aurat Foundation is a leading women’s rights organization in Pakistan working to strengthen women’s social, economic, and political participation. Through grassroots mobilization, policy advocacy, and capacity-building programs, the organization works to expand women’s access to rights, resources, and decision-making spaces, with the goal of advancing a more just and democratic society.
Partner Focus Areas
Ending child marriage and honor-based violence
Women’s political participation, leadership, and democratic governance
Women’s economic rights and financial inclusion
Rights of women with disabilities and marginalized groups
Partnership Highlights
Partner since 2006
Family law and legal reform advocacy
Training for women political candidates and party actors
National voter registration and civic engagement campaigns
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About Aurat Foundation
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Islamabad, Aurat Foundation (AF) is one of Pakistan’s leading organizations advancing women’s rights, democratic governance, and civic participation. With a nationwide network of regional and field offices, the Foundation works alongside civil society organizations, government institutions, political actors, and communities across Pakistan to promote gender equality and social justice across the country.
Stemming from the belief that women and men should live with equal rights, dignity, and self-respect, AF combines legal reform advocacy, leadership development, public education, and community organizing to strengthen women’s participation in political, economic, and social life. The organization engages women from diverse backgrounds, including rural communities, low-income households, and historically marginalized groups, equipping them with the knowledge, resources, and leadership skills needed to influence decision-making and drive social change.
Over four decades, AF has built one of the country’s largest civil society networks, coordinating activists and community groups across Pakistan to advance women’s rights, leadership, and democratic participation. Through Citizens Action Committees, Resource Centers, and local partnerships, the organization mobilizes communities to advocate for accountability, human rights, and inclusive governance at both local and national levels.
Since joining Women’s Learning Partnership in 2006, AF has integrated WLP leadership methodologies into its training and advocacy programs, expanding feminist leadership and civic education initiatives throughout Pakistan. Working primarily in English and Urdu, the organization continues to strengthen opportunities for women and youth to engage in public life and community leadership.
Amid ongoing political instability, economic challenges, and increasing threats to civic freedoms in Pakistan, AF remains a resilient and influential force for gender justice. Through its nationwide grassroots network and decades of advocacy experience, the organization continues to advance women’s rights, democratic participation, and social transformation across the country.
A participant presents key participatory leadership concepts during an Aurat Foundation workshop in Islamabad.
Key Accomplishments
- Supported the launch of an Anti-Rape Cell at a major public hospital in Islamabad through collaboration with civil society and legal advocacy partners.
- Achieved court rulings reinforcing the enforcement of women’s political representation quotas, strengthening gender equality in electoral processes.
- Contributed to key national legal reforms including domestic violence legislation, inheritance rights protections, anti-rape laws, and protections for domestic workers.
- Strengthened women’s electoral participation through voter registration campaigns, media advocacy, and civic education initiatives.
- Partnered with the State Bank of Pakistan to train thousands of rural women in financial literacy and expand access to formal banking systems.
- Supported the formation of a national Women Journalists Association, advancing protections and professional rights for women in media.
- Contributed to national policy dialogue on climate change from a gender perspective through research and advocacy, and policy analysis.
- Submitted influential shadow reports to the CEDAW Committee, strengthening international scrutiny of women’s rights in Pakistan.
- Developed electoral reform recommendations to expand women’s representation and improve voting access and safety.
- Responded to humanitarian crises with gender-sensitive disaster relief and rehabilitation programs.
A facilitator explains examples of women's political activism during an Aurat Foundation leadership training.
Organizational Programs and Activities
- Women’s Political Participation and Governance: Conducts leadership training for women candidates, supports electoral reform advocacy, and strengthens citizen engagement with elected representatives. It also works with political parties and government institutions to improve women’s representation and participation in governance.
- Legal Reform and Policy Advocacy: Conducts research, submits policy recommendations, and engages in litigation and advocacy to advance laws protecting women’s rights, including legislation on violence against women, child marriage, and workplace equality.
- Economic Participation and Financial Inclusion: Through partnerships with financial institutions and development actors, Aurat Foundation supports women’s access to banking, vocational training, microfinance, and livelihood development programs aimed at expanding economic opportunity and strengthening financial inclusion.
- Ending Violence Against Women: Works with service providers, government agencies, and civil society organizations to strengthen prevention and response systems for gender-based violence, including shelters, legal aid, and survivor support services.
- Disability Inclusion and Marginalized Groups: Through specialized initiatives, AF supports the political and social inclusion of persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups, including access to information, services, and civic participation tools.
Two participants review materials on democracy-building and political participation at a National Training of Trainers workshop hosted by Aurat Foundation, WLP’s partner in Pakistan.
About Pakistan
Pakistan is shaped by significant regional, cultural, and economic diversity that influences social and political life across the country. While progress has been made in areas such as education, civic engagement, and women’s participation in public life, many communities continue to face persistent inequalities and barriers to full inclusion in social and political spaces. Women in particular navigate entrenched gender inequality alongside political instability and rising religious conservatism.
Despite these challenges, women leaders, civil society organizations, and community advocates continue to play a vital role in advancing human rights, democratic participation, and gender equality. Their efforts support the creation of more inclusive pathways for leadership and contribute to broader movements toward more equitable, inclusive, and responsive institutions and communities.
- Population: 241.5 million
- Region: Southern Asia
- Government: Parliamentary Republic
- Women in Parliament: 17%
- Female Labor Force Participation: 24%
- Key issue: Advancing women’s rights in the face of discriminatory laws, gender-based violence, and barriers to education and employment.
My experiences attending the WLP Training-of-Trainers Institutes were amazing. We developed new friendships, learned from each other’s experience, found differences and similarities, and then when we came back home, we replicated these things in our existing programs. It makes me more democratic, more inclusive. In fact, it changes the entire pattern of my life. I feel that we are family, and we are so connected. If something happens in Mozambique, it affects me equally as if it happens in my own country.